Between You and Me
by chalantness
Summary: A compilation of themed moments between Mike and Tina. / Chapter 7: Putting it into Perspective
1. Chapter 1

**Fandom.** MikeTina-centric featuring others

Disclaimer: Glee © Fox/Ryan Murphy

* * *

**1. Candles**

He is surprised when her room isn't a shrine to her style. (Her parents drew the line when it came to Goth reflecting in her bedroom décor.) But the surprising thing for him was that there are candles in her room. A bunch of them—all different earthy colors with different Chinese characters, some he recognizes, others he doesn't.

But he does realize she is missing one character he knows very well.

So when he sees her at school the next day, he drops a small box into her hand and tells her to open it. Inside is a red candle with a distinct character.

Upon realizing what it said, she blushes. "W-What's this for?" But he just shrugs and dismisses it as a small gift.

The character is _love_.

* * *

**2. Snow**

She had never been too big a fan of snowfall. It wasn't that she particularly hated it, but she didn't particularly like it either.

So when it's winter and the snowfall is a bit more on the deeper end in Lima this time around, she sits with Kurt on the sidelines to avoid being hit while rest of their friends are in the midst of the most intense snowball war she has ever witnessed.

Of course, Mike decides otherwise.

She squeals as she feels the snow being crushed to her head, shuddering. "Mike!"

"Happy holidays, Tina."

And so her new objective has less to do with staying dry and more to do with turning Mike Chang into Frosty the Snowman.

* * *

**3. First Kiss**

The cold, she decides in the back of her mind.

Her mind is too numb from the cold to process things, despite the fact that his house—with cinnamon rolls cooking in the oven and the open fire crackling from the fireplace a few feet away—felt like the inside of an inferno. What else would be a proper explanation for making out with Mike Chang on his couch, even _if_ his lips tasted of fresh hot chocolate and marshmallows?

* * *

**4. Rules**

Tina used to live by one main rule: never let anyone get close enough to hurt her.

But that was pre-glee.

That was before she went on all-day shopping sprees with Kurt and Mercedes and midnight premieres with Santana and Brittany and sang karaoke with Rachel and her dads and baked cookies with Quinn. That was before Artie taught her to edit a video and Matt and Puck taught her to play basketball and Finn taught her to play the drums.

That was before Mike Chang was more than just a passing face in the hallway. It was before she knew what it was liked to be loved.

So now she lives by a new rule: to live her life and to love everyone that was in it.

* * *

**5. Confusion  
**

"Are you adopted?" he blurts out to her one day during glee.

She looks at him like he'd just told her Sue Sylvester had made him the head cheerleader. "What?"

"Well, your last name is _Chang _sort of, so I—"

"Mike, _Chang_ is common surname, so I highly doubt we're related, if that's what you're suggesting." Shaking her head, she adds, "And no, by the way, I am not adopted."

He grins at her like a child. "Well that's a relief. I was never a fan of incest anyway."

* * *

**6. Chocolate**

She says she'll punch him if he gives her a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.

When he shows up to the school the next day and hands her one, but tells her to open the box first, she sees that he's arranged the chocolates on the inside to resemble a (somewhat lopsided) skull instead because "you always wear them."

She decides not to punch him. Not _this_ time.

* * *

**7. Secret**

"I'm sorry," he says for what must have been the hundredth thousandth time since school started. (That is the last time he asks Puck for advice on anything. Ever.)

"Just a few more, Mike, and then maybe I'll squeal."

"Sorry," he mutters and he feels like a fool. "I didn't—I guess I shouldn't have—ugh, I'm just a complete idiot and I don't deserve you to forgive me. I'm sorry."

She just rolls her eyes and leaves the library. He puts his face in his hands, wondering if he should chase her down, but as he was weighing the repercussions of such decision, a voice that very much sounds like Quinn whispers, "She likes white roses. And if you can get your hands on some black and red paint spray, that wouldn't hurt your cause either."

So, at least the next time when he screws up because he turned to Matt, he'll have a secret weapon.

* * *

**8. Study**

"Dark chocolate?" he offers to her during Spanish while Mr. Schue isn't looking. He laughs as she nearly snatches it from his palm, especially as she questions how he knew it was her favorite. "I do a lot of studying," he says, and with a smirk, "because you're my favorite subject."

Her hand twitches like she wants to hit him. "Not even close."

Mike snaps his fingers, feigning disappointment, but knows that he _will_ find a pick up line that will work on her.

* * *

**9. Diary**

Tina was not necessarily a typical girl, which meant that whenever someone asked her if she kept a diary, she'd laugh so hard her cheeks turned pink.

Mike quickly figured out that she didn't need a diary. She just sprawled whatever was on her mind in the back of her notebooks, rip it out, and dispose of it in her fireplace at home. But how did he find this out? Well, let's just say she wished she hadn't lent him her history notes.

"Tina, why is my name written so many times in this little corner?"

* * *

**10. Car Wash**

Now, Mike was modest and pretty shy, so to say he wasn't _as_ perverted as Puck and Matt would be appropriate. But to say he wasn't perverted at all would be dead wrong. So when the girls practically force Tina to wear a red and black bathing suit with shorts for their car wash for glee, he is reduced into what could only politely be called a stare.

"How awesome was it to get Santana to get the girls to talk Tina into wearing that?" Matt asks.

Puck laughs. "Judging by the look on Changster's face, I say it was _genius_," and the two idiots exchange high-fives and forget that Mike is standing two feet away.

(Needless to say, one of the cars probably has two dents the size of Puck and Matt's heads somewhere in the side.)

* * *

**11. Home Coming**

She misses him. They all do.

They know he had to leave because his dad was injured on a business trip in a different state, and that they weren't sure how long he needed to be bedridden, so Mike and his mom put in their notices and flew out to be with him as quickly as possible. They know that. _She_ knows that.

But she still misses him, or else when she sees him back at his locker at school that morning she wouldn't have felt the urge to run up to him and kiss his cheek.

And she does exactly that.

* * *

**12. Pajamas**

"Aren't you too old for a sleep over?" he questions her when he overhears Rachel and Mercedes talking about the all-girls sleep over Quinn was hosting at her house that night. Tina just laughs and shakes her head patronizingly at him.

But, across the room, he sees Puck and Matt high-fiving and he knows that they were going to get caught and then get their asses kicked tonight by the girls in their pajamas.

(And, yeah, only when he's sitting with them on Quinn's couch a few hours later with Tina standing there, her arms crossed and glaring at him, will he realize that he needs to get better friends. Or that he needs to stop getting involved with their Friday night plans.)

* * *

**13. Water**

Were they considered officially dating if she brought him water after football practice and didn't mind sitting in the stuffy locker room waiting for him when most of the football team (and by _most_ she means anyone who was not Mike, Finn, Puck, Matt, or Kurt) has already left the building? It was hard to say.

"Yeah, you kind of are," Matt tells her when she curiously asks the question one day.

When Mike walks back, he finds Matt drenched in water and Tina sitting there with an empty water bottle in her hand, Puck and Finn and Kurt snickering in the background.

"I'm not even going to ask."

* * *

**14. Dreams**

They're talking about their dreams in glee one day, and Tina asks Mike what his was. He tells her that he wants to become a dancer, and that he'll marry fairly young but only once he's out of school, and when his dance career is well underway, he would like to have kids fairly younger than the average parent as well. It was not very much to ask for, he tells her.

And when he asks her if maybe, quite possibly she'd like to be part of that dream, she laughs lightly and tells him that it doesn't sound half bad.

* * *

**15. Nightmares**

She's been having these strange nightmares, different some nights, the same others, but it startles her awake. Often she wakes up with her legs entangled in the sheets, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, and the blood drained from her face. But when she accidentally falls asleep at his place and is awaken in the middle of the night, this time it's different.

This time she feels a strong arm around her waist, another hand squeezing hers comfortingly, and the voice of Mike Chang whispering softly into her ear that it's going to be alright.

"Don't worry. I'm right here."

So she shifts to lean her head against his shoulder and, as she's drifting between consciousness and semi-consciousness, she realizes that she could get used to this.

* * *

**16. News**

"—oh, and Tina," Rachel says as she and Mike walk into the choir room, "are you still going to be joining us for brunch on Saturday?"

"I, uh," she stammers. "I'm sorry, something came up."

She doesn't get it at first, but Mercedes and Quinn gasp in surprise and Santana has a wide smile on her face and Brittany is kind of staring at something, so Rachel follows Brittany's stare to where Tina and Mike's hands are laced together between them. And then the news sinks in. "He asked you out!"

* * *

**17. Dress**

They're wearing white for one of their routines and it's kind of an odd sight for him considering Tina usually wears black all the time. So as they're waiting there and Mr. Schue is going over the girls' choreography with Brittany and Santana he walks up to where she's staring at her reflection with an uncomfortable look on her face.

"If you can't even stand _this_ dress," he begins, "what are you going to wear on your wedding day?"

"_Please_, Mike, I'll need to be engaged first before I worry about that stuff—_if_ I ever get proposed to someday."

"Oh, I can think of someone who is already planning to."

She blushes.

* * *

**18. Engagement**

She won't remember that conversation until a few weeks later. "Happy birthday," he tells her as he slips the ring onto her finger.

She smiles genuinely at him and admires his gift, though this is only for a fraction of a second because, across the hall, Brittany exclaims, "Mike and Tina are engaged!"

* * *

**19. Ring  
**

She glares at him. "You planned this didn't you?" The entire hallway is already bustling with whispers and hushed conversations.

And when he protests his innocence, she is tempted to throw the ring at his face.

* * *

**20. Love**

He's babysitting his little cousin while his parents go out with his aunt and uncle, and he calls her up to come over—mostly because he just wants to be with her, but partly because Baby Jake hasn't stopped crying since he'd woken up from his nap.

She comes to his rescue, expertly changing his diaper and spooning food into his mouth and playing with him, not a single cry of protest leaving his mouth since her arrival. He smiles to himself as he watches her a while later humming a Chinese lullaby, her hair messily pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes wide and sparkling as she stares down at the baby cradled in her arms.

It is in this moment he realizes she'd make a perfect wife, and an even better mother.

So he realizes now is a better time than ever to tell her.

"Tina," he says, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. She smiles at him before returning her gaze onto Baby Jake. "I…" He takes a breath. "Wǒ ài nǐ."

Her breath catches.

She turns to look at him and her eyes are glistening. "Yeah?"

"Definitely."

And, even though she is breathless as she says it, he hears the words perfectly.

"Wǒ yě ài nǐ." _I love you too._

* * *

**A/n.** Mike and Tina. Enough said.

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Theme: 7 Heavenly Virtues & 7 Deadly Sins_

* * *

**21. Chastity**

Tina smiles at the girl beside her, feeling a bit of heat rise to her cheeks. "I mean, while it can be erotic and hot, it was highly inappropriate for him to feel up my skirt under the table during dinner with my dads there," Rachel was telling her. It wasn't necessarily her story that was making Tina blush—it was another matter entirely.

When Rachel comes to an end, Tina chides, "You're dating Noah Puckerman. Don't take this the wrong way, but mostly everything about him is inappropriate."

Rachel sighs and nods in agreement. "It's probably a guy thing. Though, now that I think about it," she says suddenly, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, "I've never seen Mike do anything like that to you, at least not publically. Not even around us."

Tina shrugs one shoulder. "Do Mike and I really seem the type?"

"I suppose not." Then Rachel breaks into a wide smile. "I think it's very chivalrous and very honorable of Mike to be so reserved and to not pressure you like that."

Tina laughs. "You do realize that that's just a nice way of saying that he's whipped, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

**22. Lust**

"'_Whipped?_'"

Tina lets out a breathy laugh as Mike pushes her back against the lockers, nibbling her earlobe. "You heard?" While they were not one for such intense _public_ displays of affection, they surely didn't mind sexy make-out sessions in the empty locker room after his football practices.

He smirks against her skin. "If you're going to talk about me behind my back, you ought to pick a more private place than the middle of the hallway."

She tosses her head back in shameless pleasure as he sucks on her pulse. "Noted."

He pulls at her shirt, revealing more skin, and places a wet kiss that was dangerously low on her chest, causing her to shudder and let out a whimper. He chuckles and continues showering more wet kisses on any inch of bare skin he could find, only stopping to let out a moan as her hands dance across his abs and flutter over his bare torso, grasping the waistband of his jeans.

"For the record," she whispers, sucking in a gasp as he drags his tongue along her neck again, "you are whipped."

He laughs and captures her lips hungrily.

* * *

**23. Temperance**

If there was anything Tina was really good at, it was worrying, which was why when they had their final fitting for the bridesmaid dresses for her cousin's wedding, she was _determined_ for it to fit as perfectly as it had, even if it meant going to some extremes.

"You're not eating again, Tina?" Mercedes frowns as Tina joins them sans lunch tray.

"Starving yourself is a dangerous and unhealthy habit," Rachel scolds. "If you watch what you eat and exercise regularly it works more effectively than food deprivation."

"I'm not starving myself," Tina shot. "I'm eating small portions throughout the day. And besides, it's just until the wedding."

A few moments later, they were joined by the guys, and everyone shifts to accommodate their new additions. All of the guys, as usual, had more than a fair helping of their lunch special for the day (New York deli) on their trays. This was, of course, with the exception of Mike, who had recently cut back on his eating to support his girlfriend despite Tina's protests.

"You should eat," she says worriedly.

He smirks. "You should, too."

She rolls her eyes. "You know why I'm not. Besides, I'm not that hungry."

"Then me neither."

His point, however, was entirely lost as his stomach growls a loud growl of defiance shortly afterward.

* * *

**24. Gluttony**

"Thank god it's over," Tina mutters as they are sitting in his living room. Mike chuckles in amusement, though doesn't disagree—her cousin's wedding and reception was a very tiring experience, which was a bit of an understatement. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my cousin to death, but I'm just so damn happy that it's all over. All I want to do is get out of this dress!"

He smirks and leans across the table. "I think I can help you with that."

She blushes instantly but rolls her eyes. "Shut up." Then, as she spoons the last of her ice-cream into her mouth, she frowns. "Can you get me another?"

He arches an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I'm starving. They kept moving us around to take pictures that the bridal party never got to eat our food!"

"Tina," he says softly, "that was your fifth scoop."

* * *

**25. Charity**

Tina shivers involuntarily as they are taking an evening stroll around the park, and Mike slides his jacket over her shoulders. "You know," he informs as she tugs it closer to her upper torso and leans into his shoulder, "I may need to get more jackets. Or buy you your own."

She laughs. "I like yours better," she informs, and it's so cold you could see her breath. "It smells like you."

"But if you keep taking my jackets, how am I supposed to keep warm?" he questions, his voice warm against her ear. "I'll freeze to death"

"We can't have that, can we?" She smiles a bit mischievously up at him and playfully knocks him over onto the bench, straddling his lap. His cool hands slide around her waist and she lowers herself against him, shifting the jacket so that it now enveloped the both of them. She presses their foreheads together and whispers, "Better?"

"_Much_ better."

* * *

**26. Greed**

If Mike was anything, he was giving. But there was one thing that Mike refused to share graciously: his girlfriend.

Now Tina was a very sweet person and, with those that she was close to, loved to give small kisses. With her parents and sister, obviously, he had no problem with this. Not even when she pecked _his_ parents' cheeks.

With everyone else, though, he bit his tongue.

When she kissed Sam's cheek when he finally got the tap dance she had to teach everyone. When she kissed Finn and Puck's cheeks when they aced the history test she'd spend long nights tutoring them on. Hell, even when she kissed Kurt's cheek to congratulate him on singing "Popular" from _Wicked_.

"Jealous, much?"

"It's not exactly easy to see you kissing other people, even if it's just on their cheeks," he grumbles.

She laughs. "They're harmless kisses, remember?" she questions. When he doesn't answer, she laughs again. "You, Mike Chang, are one selfish boyfriend."

"Maybe, but you're _mine_, Tina Cohen-Chang. And don't you forget it."

* * *

**27. Diligence**

Finn sighs as Santana storms away. "I can't believe I was supposed to remember the anniversary of the first time we—you know—_did_ it."

Mike laughs. "That kind of stuff it important to a girl, you know," he informs. "Can't have a relationship without having to work for it."

"Do you know when yours is?"

"Next week."

Finn groans. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Remember _everything_," he nearly exclaims. "Important dates, what days she has after-school tutoring, what her favorite foods and colors and animals are, when it's her time of the month—if _I_ tried to remember all that about Santana my head would explode!"

Mike just laughs and leaves a very disgruntled Finn to go walk with Tina to their next class. "What's wrong with Finn?"

"He forgot another anniversary with Santana."

"Ah. So why did he look mad at you?"

"He was wondering how I remember everything," Mike grins cheekily. "I told him that it takes a lot of effort and that he should try it."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Why don't you give the poor guy a break and tell him you have everything in a planner?"

"Because then he wouldn't have learned the lesson on his own."

* * *

**28. Sloth**

It was very rare that the sun was up before Tina. Usually she had so much stuff crammed into her days that she needed available hour she could squeeze out. But when she woke up that morning, she was greeted by sunlight flooding through the window, illuminating every inch of the room that she knew all too well despite the fact it wasn't even hers.

"Good morning, beautiful." She turns her head on the pillow and finds Mike beside her, propped up on his elbow and smiling. She takes note of his bare chest and bites her lower lip, the blood rushing to her face as she remembers the previous night.

He chuckles, obviously thinking the same as she, and kisses her forehead.

"Have you just been watching me this whole time?" she asks. He nods once and she giggles. "_Creepy_."

He laughs. "I like watching you sleep," he admits. "It's nice to see you so peaceful, not having to run around all the time."

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, smiling. "So what's on today's agenda?"

His arms slide around her figure, pulling her against him, and she curls into his side and rests her head on his shoulder. "I was thinking that we can spend the morning just lying here."

A laugh. "I'd like that."

* * *

**29. Patience**

He remembers their first time.

It, obviously, wasn't _his_ first but it was hers, so he didn't want to pressure her. He knew she felt guilty about making him wait, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't like he was Puck. He was perfectly content being with her no matter what they did. (Besides, considering how heated their make-out sessions got, it's not like he had anything to complain about.)

When she finally _was_ ready, however, (about four months into their dating), it was an indescribable experience.

"You know," he had said to her as they were just lying in each other's arms during the aftermath, "I'm kind of glad we held it off until now."

She looked up at him. "Really?" He nodded. "Why is that?"

"Well, for one," he began, a smirk making its way onto his face, "it gave us a lot of practice." Her cheeks reddened, if possible, but she giggled. "But it also made me want you like crazy, more than I already did. And that made it that much more…" He tried to find the right word. "Pleasurable."

She felt her eyes water a little. "So you're not mad we waited so long?"

He captured her lips in a passionate kiss that earned him a whimper. When he broke apart, he whispered into her ear, "Hell no."

* * *

**30. Wrath**

"How could you, Tina?"

She averts her eyes. He never used that tone on her, only during these rare occasions where he couldn't help it. "Mike I—"

"I didn't think you were the type, Tee. Using my feelings towards you for your advantage…"

"Look I wasn't—"

"Don't convince me otherwise. It was completely intentional!"

She bit her lip. "Fine," she sighs. "You caught me."

He sends a glare at her and grabs his controller, restarting their game. "Rematch. Best two out of three. And _this_ time, no touching my abs while I'm trying to shoot you!"

She laughs.

* * *

**31. Kindness**

Mike was pretty sure there wasn't an ill bone in Tina's body.

"Are you crazy, girl?" Mercedes is nearly yelling during after-school glee rehearsals. "Karofsky throws slushies in your face on a daily basis, or," she corrects herself as she glances at Mike, "well, he used to. But he's still an ass to you, and you're going to tutor him in Geometry?"

"Tina," Mr. Schue says, placing a hand on her shoulder, "if you want me to talk with Mr. Jordan, I can get him to have someone else tutor Karofsky."

She shook her head. "He asked _me_ to do it, so I'm going to do it." She takes a look at the worried faces, settling onto Mike's, who looks conflicted between being furious and mortified. She takes his hand and squeezes it. "_I'll be fine._"

The next day at lunch, they're sitting at their usual table as Karofsky approaches them, an extra-large Big Quench in hand.

They all tense as he approaches, but Tina stands up and offers a smile. He doesn't smile back, but he doesn't toss it in her face either. Instead, he just hands it to her and mouths something that looked a lot like "thanks" before walking away. She smiles down at the slushie and sits back down beside Mike, nudging him playfully.

"I told you I'd be fine."

* * *

**32. Envy**

Tina emerges from the baby nursery and finds Mike sitting on the living room couch awaiting her. She smiles and sits beside him, tucking her legs underneath herself and leaning into him. He automatically wraps his arms around her waist to pull her closer, though as she peers at him, she can tell something is wrong. "Mike? You okay?"

"I'm trying to figure out whether he's doing it on purpose," he tells her. When he gets a blank stare in return, he elaborates. "Baby Jake."

"Your nephew?" she asks in surprise. "What on earth would he be doing to you?"

"I think he's stealing you away from me."

She looks at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Mike, please don't tell me you're jealous of your _baby_ nephew."

"Well, you've been paying attention to him instead of me all night."

She shakes her head. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing. He's a _baby_. Of course we have to give our attention to him. He needs it—that's what parenting is all about." She looks at him, smiling, and shakes her head again. "I mean, it's not unheard of. Every parent will tell you this."

"If that's true, we are _so_ not having kids when we get older."

"_Mike!_"

* * *

**33. Humility**

"You lost," Tina sings as she greets her boyfriend at his locker during passing period.

Mike stares at her. "Finn aced his U.S. History exam?"

"Better. He got extra credit because Mrs. Riley said he did amazingly on the essay portion," she informs giddily. "I even took a picture with my phone."

He looks pleasantly impressed. "Nice work, Tee," he compliments. "You're quite the miracle worker, aren't you?"

"Thanks. But flattery won't get you anywhere," she warns. "You still lost."

He laughs in amusement but complies, fully remembering what Tina would get in exchange for achieving such an impossible task. As promised, he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing that he wore no undershirt, thusly fully displaying his perfect abs for the entire hallway. She bites her lower lip, blushing, but doesn't hesitate to trail her fingers up his bare chest.

"You should be lucky your girlfriend doesn't feel jealous about this," she reminds.

He smirks. "You just love flaunting me around."

"Yes I do." Who _wouldn't_ want to rub it in those damn Cheerios' (save for Quinn, Brittany, and Santana, of course) faces that _Mike Chang_ had picked her over them? "But, you're not done," she reminds. "Say it. Say my three favorite words."

He laughs again and bends down, whispering into her ear. "_You were right_."

She smiles triumphantly and dances her hands over his abs, stretching up on her toes to kiss him passionately. "I love you."

"_My_ three favorite words."

As they are about to kiss again, the all-too-familiar sound of Puck and Rachel going at it in another one of their arguments at the other end of the hallway interrupts them. They watch as Rachel huffs her cheeks and stomps her foot, spinning on her heels and storming off. Puck mutters to himself and slams his locker shut.

"I give them until lunch," Tina says.

And there's a spark in Mike's eyes as he says challengingly, "Wanna bet?"

* * *

**34. Pride**

"Tina," Mr. Schue says, taking in her appearance slowly as did the rest of them. "You…look…"

She laughs. "Weird?"

"Your streaks are red," Kurt says, obviously still not over the shock.

They continue to stare at the girl in her crimson and black, no-longer-blue-haired glory. In fact, it wasn't the only thing about Tina that was different. Her hair was braided to the side and, while still apparent in her fishnets and black leggings and dark make-up, her Goth style had been accompanied by another splash of red that took the form of Mike's jersey.

Her eyes meet Mike's and, despite the heat she feels rise to her cheeks, she smiles at him with complete confidence.

"Tina," he breathes, "did you…did you do this for me?"

She walks over to him and takes his hands, placing a long and not-so-chaste kiss upon his lips.

"I just want the whole world to know how crazy I am about you."

* * *

**A/n.** This was an interesting one to tackle. Let me know what you think!

Anyways, I've decided that instead of just updating it with 20 more, I thought I'd make this into another project of mine. So feel free to suggest any prompts or themes or quotes—_anything_ that I could work with to create more Mike and Tina-filled moments. Be creative—surprise me! And don't be afraid to suggest_ A LOT_ because it'll give me more to work with :D

Thanks so much!

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Theme: There's No Such Thing as Privacy_

* * *

**35. Janitor's closet**

"This sucks."

They were stuck in an eight-by-eight-foot janitor's closet (with more than half of that space taken up by toilet paper and paper towel refills, boxes of sponges, stacks of unused plastic buckets, two mops, and garbage bags), sitting on the hard tiles, with their only sources of light being a dim light bulb overhead and the light coming through the small window in the door.

Oh, and the door was locked and could only be unlocked _from the outside, _efficiently trapping them in with no way to get out on their own.

Mike sighs and runs his hand through his short hair. "God, Tee, I'm so sorry."

The small traces of frustration instantly disappear from her face. "No, it's not your fault," she says, even though it pretty much is. But, in his defense, the door _should've_ been locked, and it's not like everyone _checks_ that sort of stuff before pushing their girlfriend's back against the door whilst making out. Who does that?

He looks back up to find her smiling back at him—but her smile was of one who clearly wanted to be up to no good. (One he saw quite often nowadays.)

"If it makes you feel better," she tells him, talking in that voice that made his spine tingle, "I was enjoying myself up until we fell."

He can't help but smirk. "Oh, really?"

"Mhm."

When she crosses the small distance and kneels in front of him, face inches from his, he whispers, "What do suggest we do?"

She trails her fingers up his chest, smiling as she felt the contours of abs through the thin cotton shirt.

"Why don't we pick up right where we left off?"

He crashes his lips to hers within seconds, the message obviously received, and she felt herself shiver at the sudden sensation. A small whimper escapes the back of her throat, and he already has his hand in her hair, the other warm on the back of her neck as he pulls her closer to him, bringing her chest flush against his so that she would've been completely straddling his waist if the damn wall wasn't in the way.

She tugs at his shirt, her warm fingertips dipping over his abs again, and she feels him groan softly and kiss her more fiercely. They part a few minutes later and both breathing heavily, but Mike's lips never really leave her. He brings them to her neck and swipes his tongue over her pulse, eliciting a moan from Tina, whose eyelids flutter closed at the sensation.

Somewhere between the feathery touches and moans and the _oh god _sensations, they don't realize how loud they were getting. Not until the door was suddenly being thrown open.

"Mike? Tina?"

They pull back, startled, and draw in a shallow gasp, and direct their attention to the voice.

Mr. Schue stood in the doorway, his eyes a little wide as he stared down at the way Mike and Tina were on the floor together, having just been passionately going at it seconds before. He feels a little heat rise to his cheeks, but he was willing to bet his blush paled in comparison to the crimson coloring that flooded instantly over both of their fair complexions.

"M-Mr. Schue—!" Her voice was a few octaves higher. "W-What are you still doing here?"

He clears his throat, averting his eyes as he notices Tina's legs around Mike. "I, um—uh, had work to finish up on—final edits on a new routine, and—what are you two doing in a _closet?_"

"We—"

"Never mind, it's better if I not know. Just—can you two get out now?"

They oblige instantly, scrambling to get on their feet and into the hallway as best they could in the small space provided. Once out, the door was promptly closed and locked, and he sighs and shakes his head to himself before turning back to the young couple. "Maybe next time you ought to wait until you get home. See you both tomorrow." And with that, he was gone.

Laughing a little nervously, they decide to follow his advice, grabbing their things and heading for the parking lot. However, they never make it further than the car before Tina pushes Mike into the back seat and whispers, "Now, where were we?"

* * *

**36. Locker room**

Just as she was reaching for the door handle, it swung open, and she was face-to-face with none other than Sam Evans. He blinks for a second, clearly as caught off-guard by this sudden encounter as she, but breaks into a smile nonetheless. "Hey Tee," he greets. "Here for Mike?"

"Hey Sam." She offers him a half-hug. Pulling back, she adds, "And, yeah. Is he still getting ready?"

"I think he just stepped out of the shower?" Sam guesses. At the coloring on her face, he smirks a bit. "Sorry, show's over."

She gives him a scandalized look with a scoff, followed by a laugh and a playful shove. "Ha ha, very funny Sam." He laughs as well and tips an imaginary hat, waving at her before walking down the hallway and disappearing around the corner. Shaking her head, she enters the boys' locker room, which was still a bit steamy from all of the showers. "Mike?"

"…Tee? Is that you?"

"Yeah," she says, letting the door close behind her. "It's me."

She knew by heart where his locker was, of course, so she found him within seconds.

He has a top locker, which is opened, and his bag and clothes are on a pile on the bench. There was a red towel hanging around his neck, his hair was still dripping wet, and he was only clad in his jeans. He looks up as he spots her in his peripheral vision and beams at her. Of course he doesn't miss the way her eyes are on his chest and all of its (as Sam so loves to call it) _ab_ulous glory. "See something you like?"

She blushes a little more but sticks out her tongue playfully, walking over to him and kissing his lips. "How was practice?"

"Beiste is a beast," he says, earning a laugh. "_Wind sprints._ And a bunch of other stuff. But, we're getting closer scores and actually _winning_ now, so it's worth it."

"Because she's got you guys using strategy and playing like a real team," she points out. "Plus, it kind of helps the football guys are a bit cooler with the whole glee situation. After all, all of our boys are their star players—you, Finn, Puck, Kurt, Sam. Even Artie."

"And that, my dear," he tells her, "is because we're simply awesome."

She gives a challenging smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She places a hand on the back of his neck, and his wet hair dripping onto her fingers. "Then prove it."

He chuckles lowly before capturing her lips with his. He brings his hand up, placing it on her cheek, and uses the other to shove her messenger bag from her shoulder before dipping it over the small of her back and resting it there. She slams his locker shut, freeing the space for him to push her against it for support as her knees nearly buckle underneath her.

She felt her clothes dampening a little as his wet chest pressed against hers, the cold water dripping from his hair and onto her sending chills that conflicted with the heat of the kiss and of the steamy locker room.

"You should stop by after practice more often," he whispers.

She laughs breathily before recapturing his lips, hands exploring the feel of his wet abs and muscles in their exposed glory. She liked that she didn't have to fumble with his shirt to get to him.

"Wow."

They stop abruptly, their eyes darting towards their interrupters.

Sam stood there with his arm around Quinn. They both had looks of amusement on their faces, and Quinn looked like she was biting back giggles. "Guess I was wrong, Tee," Sam says, a smug smile on his face as he adds, "I guess the show _isn't_ over."

* * *

**37. Hot tub**

Tina could admit that life was perfect, at least right now. Here she was: nearly perfect weather, delicious aromas wafting through the air, body enveloped in the steamy goodness of the hot tub. And she was surrounded by her closest friends and family in the large backyard of the Fabray Household for their New Directions celebratory pool party following their take of first place at Regionals.

She was the only one in the hot tub at the moment, and everyone was simply lounging around and waiting for the food to be ready as they were calming down from their rather passionate boys vs. girls pool volleyball game. She was sure this moment of peace as all they were going to get until lunch (because she overhead something about Puck having a trunk full of super soakers and water balloons) so she might as well savor it while it lasts.

"Is it hot in here or is it just you?"

She laughs, recognizing the voice at once, and opens her eyes to find Mike sitting on the edge of the hot tub and beaming at her. "Hey you."

"The food is almost ready," he informs, reaching over to tuck some hair behind her ear.

She nods. "I know. It smells delicious." She turns back to look at Mike and offers a smile, patting the spot on the bench beside her. "Come join me?"

"Though you'd never ask." He swings his legs over the sit and lowers himself into the water, resting his arm around her as he settled down. He kisses her head and sighs contently, looking up at the clear blue sky. "You know, you were amazing at Regionals. I mean, I knew you always were, but now the rest of the world knows."

"You were amazing, too," she tells him. "Your first solo in front of that large of an audience _ever_ and you nailed it. I'm so proud of you." And, as if to prove this, she kisses his lips.

"I have _you_ to thank, you know."

He pokes her exposed stomach lightly, and she flinches away. "Stop that," she giggles.

"Stop what?"

"I'm ticklish," she says, and as soon as the words are out of her mouth, her eyes widen with realization and she slaps her hand over her gaping mouth. _Oh, crap._

Mike's answering smile is positively devilish. "Oh, you _are_, are you?"

"Mike," she begins, automatically backing away. The small size of the pool, however, made her didn't provide much room for her. "Don't."

"Don't what, Tee?"

She's giggling, still trying to back away as he started coming close. She thrusts her hands out in front of her and presses them against his shoulders in a feeble attempt to keep their distance. This, of course, was of no use because this leaves her completely exposed now. Bad move. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she curses the girls for convincing her to wear a bikini. "No, Mike, don't even think—"

She is cut off by her own shrill scream as his fingers suddenly jab lightly at her sides, and she tries to push his hands away. "_Ah!"_

He just laughs and proceeds to tickling her mercilessly, his feathery touch ghosting over almost every inch of her exposed skin. The entire time, she is in a helpless fit of giggles, her hands torn between trying to push him away and trying to catch his wrists to make him stop.

The water thrashes around as Tina tries to twist away from his touch, but he has her pinned between him and the hot tub, his form nearly towering over her. "_Mike!"_

"What are you two doing?"

Mike's hands pull out from under the water and over his head, as if caught red-handed, and the both of them look over and find everyone else watching them with mixed expressions: some looked scandalized, amused, or a combination both. Tina is positively red as she tries to sit herself up. (Because their particular position wasn't necessarily appropriate for everyone to see.)

There was a mix of hoots and hollers and catcalls from their fellow New Directions members. The distinctive voice of Puck crying out, "Pool sex!" followed Rachel scolding, "Noah!"

But it was really what Kurt said that made them go red.

"Well, when you two are done with whatever kinky things you're doing in that hot tub, lunch is ready."

* * *

**38. Dressing room**

Not that he had anything against shopping, or the idea of Tina in a dress, or having to attend Mr. Schu's and Ms. Corcoran's wedding (because the latter two he was _really_ excited to see)—but, after four hours of dozens of different stores and about a hundred or so different dresses, he was at his limits. He was just glad that there were couches in this dressing room this time.

"What about this one?" Mercedes asks, stepping out in a light green dress. It wasn't hideous. It just wasn't that pretty either. Before either boy could answer, she scrunches up her face and shakes her head. "No. Definitely a _no_, you're right," she mutters before retreating back into the dressing stall.

Matt sighs and gives Mike a look. _I'm going to kill myself pretty soon._

"Matt," Mercedes says a few minutes later, stepping out with her arm full of hangers and dresses, "come on, help me bring these back."

Matt obeys immediately, too tired to even try and resist, and follows her out of the dressing room. Mike gives him a piteous glance before yawning, shifting back on the couch and resting his head. He nearly nods off until the sound of Tina hissing, "Aw, crap," startles him. He sits up again and listens to the incoherent mumbling coming from his girlfriend's stall, which involved a lot of curses.

"Tee," he asks cautiously, "is everything okay in there?"

She hesitates. "The zipper—I think it got caught on the tag or something. It won't budge. Can you—can you help me?"

He gulps a little. Not that he hasn't seen Tina in _less_, but the fact that they were pretty much in public where anyone could just walk in and see made the situation a lot more _dangerous._ However, he manages an even, "Okay. I'm coming in," and waits for her to unlock the door before opening.

She yawns a little and turns automatically, moving her hair out of the way to show him the problem. He gets to work, laughing a little. "Tired?"

"Extremely. I want to call it quits for today but it's hard to reason with Mercedes," she chuckles sleepily.

He fumbles with the tag and the zipper for a little, but manages to get it out. He smiles triumphantly at her through their reflection in the mirror. "Mission accomplished."

"You're not going to help me get out of it?"

"Er—" Her playful smile tells him she isn't exactly joking. "Did you want me to?"

She leans her head back and stretches on her toes, whispering into his ear, "Of course I do."

He chuckles and unzips it, averting his eyes as soon as it falls to the floor. Like he said, he's seen her in a bikini before, but the fact they were in a dressing room made this feel wrong. (Well, it _was_ wrong, but it usually didn't feel too bad.) She obviously sees this through the mirror because she laughs, sounding amused as she puts the dress back on the hanger and grabs another.

She holds it up to her figure and tilts her head, trying to see whether or not it was really worth trying on. "What do you think?"

He shrugs. "Tee, you could be wearing anything and you'd still be beautiful."

"Aw, aren't you sweet?" She stretches on her toes and kisses his cheek, beaming at him. Turning to face him, she holds the dress up again. "So yes? No?"

"It's your call," he says, and then scrunches up his eyebrows. "Hey, um, where'd your other earring go?"

"Hm?" Her hand flies over her earlobe. Sure enough, the black stud that had been there was gone. "Aw, crap."

Mike's gaze falls to the floor, searching the carpet. It didn't really help that the carpet had this weird dotted design to it. "Oh, I think I found it," he says, crouching down and plucking a small black object from the ground. He held it closer, trying to examine it.

However, as he was still crouched down with Tina standing and watching him, the door suddenly flew open behind them. "Hey, Tee, I found—_whoa!"_

They turn around to find Mercedes standing in the doorway, a lacey black dress in her hand. She was eying them widely for a moment before breaking into a smirk. Both Tina and Mike color instantly, and Tina hugs the dress closer to herself and backs up until she hits the mirror as Mike bolts straight up, clearing his throat uncomfortably and dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Really? You two couldn't have waited until you got home?"

* * *

**A/n.** I realize there are only four, but these were pretty lengthy. Besides, I didn't want to overkill the theme because all of the other ideas that came to mind ended up sounding repetitive.

Anyway, _thank you so much_ for all of your awesome reviews and suggestions. KEEP THEM COMING! Any time an idea pops up, just go ahead and let me know. Don't worry about how weird or strange or stupid it may sound, and don't worry about listing a whole bunch of different things. Honestly, this helps the whole process!

I'm also sorry that it took awhile for me to update. I could go into detail about everything, but it's all just blah blah blah and why put you through that?

(HEY! Did anyone else play Mike and Tina making out over and over and _over_ again after watching "Never Been Kissed"? Did anyone else scream? Just curious :D)

**Edit: (since I was an idiot and forgot to put this when I first uploaded this chapter)**

Special thanks to **Siren Musings** who had given me "locked in a classroom" and "caught in a comprimising situation by a Glee member" because these were the two that sparked this entire chapter. I don't know if i did a good job, plus I tweaked the _locked in a classroom_ into _locked into a janitor's closet_ because that one struck more inspiration. But I hope you got what you were hoping for!

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Theme: Wonderful World of Color_

* * *

**39. Red**

He vaguely wonders whether or not Tina has been spending too much time with Santana.

_That would explain so much._

His thoughts, however, are all tossed out the window as he feels that same warm, feathery-light sensation of fingertips—_her_ fingertips—gently strumming themselves over his thigh. If she had been talking with Santana then it would explain her sudden shift in attitude, and why she wanted to sit in the very back of the choir room, conveniently out of sight any wandering eyes.

"Tina," he hisses, eliciting a soft giggle from said girl.

But she doesn't stop her fingers. She just smiles a little wider, tilting her head ever so slightly and crawling her fingers a little higher up. "Yes, Mike?"

Mr. Schu's speech was rendered as soft as a whisper against the roar of the blood in his ears, and it was all her fault. "_Tina!_"

Another giggle.

_This girl—she's going to be the death of me._

He felt the heat rising to his cheeks as her fingers trailed higher and higher until—

She stops.

She just retracts her fingers and places them on her lap like nothing ever happened. He looks at her and finds a smile on her face as she faced forward, her eyes remaining on Mr. Schu as if she'd been paying attention the entire lecture. _What the hell?_

When rehearsal is over and everyone is gone, he pulls her aside. "What was that all about?"

She laughs, stretching up on her toes and whispering into his ear, "Did you know that I find blushing one of the sexiest things about you?"

"…You do?"

She nods, biting her lower lip softly. "It doesn't look nearly as good on anyone else."

He stares at her for a moment, and for a second she began worrying if something was wrong with him, before he was pinning her back against the lockers and locking their lips together. The kiss was so sudden, and so hungry and passionate that it made her head spin, her legs quivering underneath her so that she would've fallen to the ground if she wasn't being supported.

When he pulled back, her eyelids were heavy and her cheeks were on fire, burning a bright crimson against her fair complexion.

He smiles in satisfaction. "I beg to differ."

* * *

**40. Orange**

The brilliant idea of a day-trip to the beach had been a mutual decision, and (with _a lot_ of bribing and sweet-talking of Mr. Schu) had been the best excused-from-classes-for-a-whole-day "field trip" they'd ever gone on. But Tina found that her favorite part was after all of the food and swimming and sand castles and singing.

"Almost time to go, huh?"

Tina smiles at Rachel, who sat on the beach towel beside her. But before Tina can respond, Rachel's eyes widen excitedly, that special sparkle shining brightly in them as she breaks into a wide smile. Tina arches an eyebrow and follows her gaze, only to find her own jaw dropping.

Just beyond the soft waves of the horizon, the sun was setting, coloring the sky in a deep orange and magenta.

"Beautiful."

"Well, I don't know about all that."

She smiles, already recognizing the voice. And, sure enough, she looks up to find Mike smiling warmly back at her.

As he sits himself beside her, she leans against him, looking back at the sunset and cuddling into his side as his arms rest comfortably at her waist. "You got a thing against sunsets?"

At his lack of response, she looks back at him and finds him staring deeply at her. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to just kiss her then and there, but he couldn't. He was restraining himself. And she didn't really know why until he whispered the words that that took her breath away—the words that were just another strong reminder as to why she loved this man so much.

"No. They just pale in comparison to you."

* * *

**41. Yellow**

The already-brightly-colored umbrella looked blindingly brighter against the dark gray clouds and the downpour of rain, if it was even possible to get brighter than neon yellow. Since neither of them had been prepared for the rain, they had resorted to borrowing the prop, which Mr. Schu and Ms. Holiday had used in their "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella" number, for cover as they made their way to his car.

"This is so cliché, you know that?"

Mike angles a look down at Tina, who looks back up at him and beams. "Why is that?"

"A couple walking underneath the same umbrella in the pouring rain," she drawls, sticking out her hand with her palm facing upward, as if to catch the rain. Then she looks down at the ground and jumps forward a little, creating a small splash in the puddle. She laughs.

"Easily amused, are we?"

She sticks out her tongue. "My parents hate letting me out in the rain. You know how paranoid they can be."

"Yeah," he laughs. "I feel like we should be dancing and singing."

"_That_ would be _really_ cliché."

And then an idea hits him. "And you know what would be _terribly_ cliché?" he questions, a smirk creeping onto his face.

However, because of her preoccupation with the rain, she doesn't seem to hear the mischief in his voice or pay attention to his smirk. "Hmm?"

He suddenly grabs her jacket, pulling her closer to him with one hand while dropping the umbrella from his other. She probably would've squealed at the sudden icy-cold rain that enveloped them if it hadn't been for the fact that he pressed his lips to hers before she could really react.

_This is so cliché._

She felt herself smiling into the kiss, wanting to laugh but also wanting to savor the sweet taste of his kiss. His arms wrap around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, and she feels her hair and clothes growing heavy and damp with rainwater.

When they pull apart, they can see their breaths coming out unevenly.

"Your parents are going to kill me," he whispers.

She laughs softly and entangles her fingers into his drenched hair, pulling his face closer. "Let's just say the umbrella broke."

He laughs breathily, and she shudders against him because the rain seemed to make her a thousand times more sensitive to the kisses he placed along her neck.

"Darn that umbrella."

* * *

**42. Green**

"I see you've forgotten what day it is today."

Tina turns her head to the rest of the girls at the table, arching one eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Oh, come on, Tee, I reminded you yesterday, too," Mercedes laughs, shaking her head. "You're in deep trouble, from the guys at least."

Rachel laughs as well, shaking her head. "I don't understand what it is with those boys and their potent love of remedial holidays that causes them to take it so seriously."

"Holiday—?"

And that's when she finally notices it.

Rachel had four-leaf-clover bracelets dangling at her wrists that matched her earrings, pendant, and barrette. Mercedes had a stylish green hoodie on that matched her sneakers. Kurt had a silk green scarf wrapped around his neck. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany all had dark green ribbons in their ponytails that matched the rest of the Cheerios.

_Aw, crap. That was today?_

Quinn smiles as she looks over Tina's shoulder. "Here come the guys."

"Better run," Santana laughs.

She shoots them a _Gee, thanks_ look before nearly bolting from the table, remaining in earshot to hear Puck ask, "Where's Tina going?" and for Brittany to reply, "She's not wearing green today."

_Thanks a lot, Britt._

Now the guys were going to hunt her down.

She really didn't know what it was about those boys and holidays—_any_ holiday—but they did it religiously. It was as sad as it was childish and highly amusing. (Well, when you _weren't_ the victim of whatever the tradition was.) Maybe she could get something green from one of her classmates before anyone found her.

"Hey, Tee."

She nearly jumps out of her skin, whipping herself around. "Mike!"

He laughs. "Whoa, calm down. It's just me."

"How did you—"

"You were running towards your fifth period class. Kind of predictable. Well, at least for me."

"Oh." And then she remembers why she'd been running. "Wait, don't—"

Too late. She felt a light pinch on her forearm, followed by his soft lips over hers as he gives her a long, heady kiss. "Happy St. Patrick's Day, Tee."

_Maybe I'll forget to wear green next year, too._

* * *

**43. Blue**

"What are you doing here?"

Mike smiles at her. "Your parents are out of town, right? I thought we could hang, then."

She laughs, stepping aside to let him in. "We'll have to be quiet then," she informs. "Nina is already sleeping in her room. Let's go upstairs."

"Yes ma'am."

They made their way quickly up the staircase, creeping past Nina's bedroom into Tina's. She plops herself onto the bed, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she watches him take off his jacket and fumble around with it for a few seconds, pulling out a DVD case. "I brought _Avatar._"

"Of course."

"Hey, I just want you to watch it _once_," he insists, putting the disc into her DVD player and turning on the TV. "And then I'll put it to rest."

He throws his puppy eyes in for good measure. "Fine, I'll watch it with you," she relents.

"Why are you so reluctant to watch _Avatar_, anyway?" he questions, grabbing the DVD remote and lying beside her. "You got something against blue alien creatures?"

She laughs. "No. I guess I just hear Quinn talking about how Sam loves it so much…" She trails off because Mike already understands. (They all love Sam, but the guy had his quirks.) "Besides, it's just a little strange watching alien creatures in general."

"Why?"

She shrugs. "I get too technical that I can't let myself enjoy the movie."

"You'll enjoy the movie," he assures. "Trust me."

So they began watching.

The movie was engrossing, she would definitely admit. But as it progressed, she found herself paying less and less attention to the story and more on the boy she was curled against. She'd feel him stroke her arm, play with her hair, draw patterns on her stomach under her shirt—absent things that were probably out of habit. Playfully, she'd return the gestures.

This game ends with her straddling his waist, tossing her head back in pleasure and swallowing a moan as he drags his lips along her collar bone and finds her pulse, the movie long forgotten.

"So this was your plan all along?"

He chuckles, sending soft vibrations against her skin as his lips trace up to her jaw. "You didn't seem to be enjoying the movie much."

"I was enjoying it," she corrects as his hands dip underneath her tank-top and find the clasp of her bra. "But other _pressing matters_ needed my attention."

"Hmm. Then next time, we'll really need to finish it."

"Yes. _Next time_."

And, as she pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it aside, leaving a wet kiss against his chest, he makes a mental note in the back of his mind to thank Sam. He had his doubts, but apparently _Avatar_ turned Tina on as much as it did Quinn.

* * *

**44. Purple**

Usually, New Directions ate together during lunch at least twice a week.

But there were certain times during the week where they couldn't all get together. It was during this time, Tina notices that Puck bought the two of biggest slushie sizes and filled them both with grape before disappearing off with Rachel. She knew that grape was Rachel's favorite flavor, but she found it impossible that they finished the entire thing by the end of lunch.

She gets her answer when the couple invite her and Mike to have lunch with them outside. As Puck joins them at the empty tables outside, he's carrying four XXL slushies instead of just two.

"Whoa."

Puck arches an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I don't think I can finish one that big, Puck," she insists, her wide eyes still on the oversized drink.

"Me neither," Mike agrees.

Rachel blinks, exchanging a look with Puck before bursting into laughter. She's guffawing so hard that her cheeks go pink. Even Puck was laughing pretty heartily.

Mike and Tina look at each other. "What?" Mike asks, frowning.

"Should we do it?" Rachel asks, wiping a tear from her eyes as her laughter subsides.

"Hell yeah!"

He sets their drinks down at the table and grabs one, and suddenly Mike feels something cold and wet being dumped onto his head. "_Dude!_"

Before Tina could really react, she shivers as she feels something icy splat onto her chest. "Rachel!"

Puck and Rachel laugh at them for a brief moment before Puck grabs some in his hand and tosses it at her shoulder. She squeals and the chilly sensation and throws some back, splashing more onto Mike and Tina in the crossfire.

At first, Mike and Tina just watch them with blank expressions.

Then Puck laughs, Rachel giggling as he claps both of their shoulders. "You two gonna join us or what?"

And soon, the four of them are engaged in an all-out slushie war, grape chunks flying everywhere. In the back of her mind, it finally made sense to Tina, and this particular area was out of immediate sight from any windows and couldn't been accidentally spotted, so it was safe.

_No wonder they never get caught._

Tina drops her empty cup to the ground, backing up into a wall as Mike advances slowly, a smirk on his face.

As he throws the last of his slushie onto her, she catches Puck and Rachel from the corner of her eyes, who were looking a little preoccupied. She shudders as the drink hits her neck, sliding slowly down and into her dress. But, with Mike in front of her and his shirt almost thoroughly soaked through, sticking to his abs, she understands why Rachel would ever agree to this stupid game of theirs.

She tugs him forward, crashing their lips together and kissing him hungrily.

_Mm, grape._

* * *

**A/n. **I found this theme amusing.

I meant to have this finished and up by Thanksgiving as a present, but sadly it couldn't be done. But Happy Post-Thanksgiving Day, everyone! I'm definitely thankful for all of you—my wonderful readers and reviewers—and of Ryan Murphy, Harry Shum Jr., and Jenna Ushkowitz, for giving us such a _hawt_ yet simply adorable couple to love!

**Edit: (because I forgot to put this when I first uploaded this chapter)**

Special thanks to **Siren Musings** (again!), who suggested "accidental touches," which inspired _#39. Red_

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Theme: You and Me Are Mistletoe-ing_

* * *

**45. Holiday Spirit**

"One of my favorite things about Christmas," she declares, "is the holiday drinks at Starbucks." They are sitting at a table for two in the back, as distant and private as they can get in a coffeehouse crowded with McKinley High students. He watches as she brings her drink up to her lips and sips tentatively, testing the temperature. "Perfect," she says before taking a sip.

"Yes, you are."

She blushes, kicking him lightly under the table. "Cliché much."

He laughs lightly. "Does it taste good?"

"Of course," she beams. "You can't go wrong with peppermint white mocha."

As she sets her drink back on the table, he sees that she has some whip cream lingering on her lips.

He leans over, bringing his face only inches apart from hers. "What are you—" Though, she never finished that thought as he kisses her lightly, licking her lips clean and humming in appreciation. He chuckles as he can practically feel the heat emanating from her cheeks as her blushing increases, giving her a smile as he begins to pull back.

But her gloved hand catches his shirt, keeping him in place.

She brings their lips back together, her hair tickling his cheeks as it creates a curtain from them and the rest of the world. She pushes her drink aside, deciding that she loves the taste of his lips _much more_ than some stupid latte.

(Needless to say, her drink is cold when she finally takes another sip.)

* * *

**46. Shopping**

He wasn't sure how she convinced her parents into letting her have free reign of the credit and debit cards, nor how she convinced him to come with her and carry all of her bags.

"It's Christmas shopping," was her reason when they returned to her house. After four or five straight hours of shopping, and bringing bags back and forth between the mall and his car, all of his limbs felt completely numb.

"But why did I agree to be your bag boy?"

He plops himself onto her bed, relieved to finally be sitting down. She laughs. "Because you love me."

"That I do."

She chuckles and trails her fingers down his shirt, grabbing the end and beginning to pull it up. He stares at her for a moment, one eyebrow arched. "What are you doing, Tee?"

"Taking off your shirt," she replies casually, like they were talking about the weather.

He colors slightly but complies, curiosity getting the best of him. Once his shirt is off, she angles an unnervingly sexy smile at him that makes him want to shudder. She climbs onto the bed and kneels behind him, her fingers trailing over his skin. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but when her smooth hands apply pressure to his sore muscles, a wave of relief washes over him. "Oh, _wow._"

"Did I ever tell you," she whispers lowly into his ear, "that my aunt teaches massage classes?"

He groans lowly as her hands word on his back and shoulders. It was as if she was just making the pain disappear. "No, you left out that little detail."

She chuckles, watching in amusement. As he rests his head back against her, she leans down and kisses his forehead, and then soundly on his lips. He groans lightly and kisses her back.

"And just when I thought you couldn't get more perfect…"

* * *

**47. Traditions**

"Ho ho ho, losers!"

Tina shudders, feeling the all-too-familiar sensation of icy chunks sliding down her chest and into her clothes. She wipes her eyes clear before the corn syrups has time to sink in—a rule of thumb she and the others had come accustomed to doing since slushies seemed a daily ritual. She looks over at Mike, who still seems in shock about the whole thing.

She slides her hand into his and squeezes lightly.

.

"It helps to keep your eyes shut as tight as possible," she informs, dabbing lightly at his face with the red towel. "You might start seeing stars, but it keeps the corn syrup out."

He nods silently, obeying and squeezing his eyes closed a little tighter. She wets the towel a little in the sink and wipes his eyes gently. Beside her, she hears the water stop running and turns to see Mercedes staring at her reflection, trying to find any hidden remains of the icy beverage in her hair. "All done?"

"Looks like it," she reports.

"That was fast." Mike sounds slightly impressed.

"Consider it an art that we've mastered," Mercedes jokes. "Anyway, Tee, want me to get your clothes?"

"Yes please."

"Okay, you two hang tight." And with that, she was gone.

After a few more moments of silence, Mike says, "You two seem prepared."

She shrugs nonchalantly despite the fact that he couldn't see this. "Practice makes perfect." Then, as soft as a whisper, "I'm sorry. This is my fault, you shouldn't have been slushied."

He catches her wrist, her hand paused as she was about to wipe his cheek, and slowly opens his eyes, peering down at her. It stings a little since she hadn't finished, but it didn't compare to hearing Tina say that.

"Tee, how is it _your_ fault?"

She looks away. "Well, before you dated me, you were still in glee club but you never got slushied. I just—"

"Never say that, Tee," he cuts her off. He stares into her eyes, and her breath catches. "Ever."

"Mike…"

"Everything has been so much better in my life since you stepped into it, even before Asian Camp," he tells her softly. "Don't ever say anything otherwise."

She feels her eyes water a little.

"Okay."

He smiles at her, swooping down and catching her lips in a kiss.

She sighs contentedly and kisses him back, finding the sticky taste of corn syrup on his lips delicious and suddenly wanting more.

Maybe slushie facials aren't so bad after all.

* * *

**48. Desserts**

"I feel like such a little kid again," Tina giggles, smearing icing onto the gumdrop before sticking it onto the edge of the roof with the others.

Mike chuckles, looking around. When Mr. Schu had said that they would go around caroling _and_ bring baked goods and gingerbread houses wherever they went, they had all felt a little skeptical. (Well, they thought maybe he hit his head, and then they figured he must have sampled some of Puck's special eggnog.)

But he knows now why Mr. Schu is putting them through all of this trouble.

There was no denying they had gone through _a lot_ of drama, as if some outside force felt like their lives wouldn't be nearly as interesting without something happening every second. But, at that moment, everyone is laughing and being childish and having fun.

"Noah, Noah _stop it!_"

His head snaps up, watching as Rachel barely dodges Puck's grasp, nearly knocking over the mixing bowl off of their counter.

"You're not getting away that easily!" he laughs, lunging for her again, and yet again missing by seconds. "Damn, you're fucking lightning, Rach."

She sticks out her tongue playfully and skids passed where Santana and Finn are stationed.

However, she knocks into a metal bowl, effectively flipping it over and dousing the countertop and Santana in the melted chocolate mix. Puck and Rachel freeze. For a whole second, it seems like the entire room is completely silent.

A chuckle.

Santana turns a deathly glare on the boy beside her.

The smile on Finn's face is gone before anyone can even blink. "Sorry," he mutters.

"Oh, you're going to be."

She dips her hand into the flour and flicks some into his face.

He blinks rapidly, completely stunned. Around the room, some let out a little laugh.

Then suddenly there's an egg being cracked over Santana's head, followed by a squeal, and a chunk of cookie dough is splattered on Finn's sweatshirt.

And suddenly, Rachel is running from Puck again, slipping herself through the small aisles with her head thrown back in laughter. Sam and Quinn are showering each other with sprinkles that spilled into their hair and clothes and slid off of them and onto the floor. Artie and Brittany are painting each other with icing and throwing candy at each other, while Mercedes and Kurt are retreated in the very corner, determined to save their clothes from the rising chaos.

Mike is dying of laughter, but not nearly as badly as Tina is. Her cheeks are rosy as she tosses her head back, letting out her high soprano giggles.

He smiles widely at her and she seems to notice this because she suddenly looks at him, grinning as well.

"You two look a little too clean!"

Before either can react, they feel the cool sensation of chocolate pudding splatting against their exposed necks, getting onto their cheeks and hair.

Santana laughs at them, until Rachel passes by and Puck, in his attempt to hit his girlfriend, nails both girls in a fistful of sugar. "_You are so dead!_"

They break out into more laughter, using each other for support to stay standing.

However, when their laughter eventually subsides, he peers down at her. He can't help but think that he was more of a fro yo guy, but chocolate pudding has never looked as deliciously tempting as it had that moment. So he swoops in and licks at the pudding at the crook of her neck and shoulder. She shudders at the sudden sensation and tosses her head back shamelessly, a sigh escaping.

"Have I ever told you," he whispers, taking a pause to drag his tongue along her neck again, "that I have a weakness for sweets?"

She laughs rather sexily, turning her neck and finds his pulse point with her lips. He lets out a strangled groan, ceasing his own tasting to hum in pleasure. "Do you?" She stretches up and nips at his earlobe. "Anything specific?"

He smiles against her skin.

"_You._"

Pushing the small of her back against the countertop, he dips his head and leaves long, wet kiss along her collar bone before bringing his lips up to ravish hers.

(Let's just say that Mr. Schu learned that he should never leave his kids in the kitchen unsupervised. _Ever_.)

* * *

**49. Decorating**

"You know, I always loved these ornaments," she says, grabbing his attention from where he is opening the last box of décor. She fingers a sparkly snowflake she just hung up and looks back over her shoulder at him, smiling. "They're so pretty, right?"

He grins. "Just like you."

She laughs lightly and pulls another candy from the nearly-empty box, sticking it in.

A few minutes later, she hears Mike call out, "Tee?"

"Hmm?"

She turns around when he doesn't respond immediately, wondering what was going on.

He is kneeling on the floor with the last box of decorations open beside him, labeled "FIREPLACE" in Sharpie in her mother's handwriting.

She smiles, knowing what he must have found in the there. Setting the box of candy canes on the ground with the rest of the emptied ornament boxes, she walks over and sits herself beside him on the carpeted floor. In his hands is a large, red stocking identical to the other six he has spread out on the ground beside him, the only difference being the name written in silver on the top.

It read _Mike._

She laughs a little and he looks over at her, waiting.

"It's something my mom loves doing," she explains, a smile on her face. "When my brother began dating Ericka, they really loved her. When her stocking was made and put up, they had only been together for two years. I was ten that Christmas when she came over, and my brother proposed to her."

"And she said yes," Mike finishes, smiling at the black picture frame in the box. In the picture, Brandon and Ericka were beaming, their arms wrapped around each other.

Tina laughs lightly and leans her head against his shoulder. "Maybe my mom feels that it's some sort of good luck charm. She'll probably make one when Nina finds that special someone, too."

"Your mom must really like me," he says softly.

"She absolutely loves you."

He sets his stocking down and wraps his arms around her, bringing her body flush against his. Sighing contentedly, she turns herself in his arms to face him, running her fingers through his hair. Beside them, the fireplace is burning silently, but he knows that the heat he feels has nothing to do with the flames. They are so close that he can feel her heart beating rapidly against him.

He brings his lips up to her ears, whispering, "We don't need luck."

And that's sort of when she loses it.

She crashes her lips to his and kisses him senselessly, and he is quick to comply.

He tangles his fingers through her hair and kisses her back just as feverishly. He turns them slowly, until the next thing she knows, she is lying down with her back against the carpet. Her mind is in a haze, only registering the taste of his lips and the sensation of his fingers ghosting over her skin.

When they part for some much-needed air, she smiles at him, her cheeks positively flushed. "You know," she says breathily, "we're home alone tonight."

"Really?"

She nods, perhaps a little too excitedly. "Really."

He groans and presses their lips together in another passionate kiss, earning him a soft mewl, a sound that drove him crazy every time.

Eventually, they'll get around to putting up the rest of the decorations.

* * *

**50. Presents**

Tina had always loved wrapping presents. She had it down to an art, each gift having a different fold to it or arrangement of bows. There was just something unique about the way she wrapped every present, and she always wore a huge smile on her face when she did so, which fascinated Mike.

"You really love wrapping paper, huh?" he teases from where he is writing the tags in Sharpie.

She laughs. "I've always loved origami, anything artsy and with paper. I think I got it from my aunt. She owns a stationary store in New York, now."

"It's too bad my ugly handwriting is going to be on the tags," he says.

"Oh, come on, you don't write _that_—oh."

He looks at her in slight alarm. "Is everything okay?"

She nods. "Just a paper cut, that's all," she assures, bringing her finger closer to eyes for examination.

He sets down the Sharpie on the coffee table and scoots over to her, taking her hand lightly to look at the cut as well. She smiles as she watches his eyebrows knit together, a crease forming on his forehead. Mike is always extremely paranoid when it comes to her well-being, which she found extremely sweet yet a bit overbearing at times, when he was as overprotective as her father.

"Relax, Mike, it's just a paper cut. It's really not that big of a deal."

He frowns.

"It's you, Tee. _Everything_ that happens to you is a big deal," he corrects. Smiling, he adds, "Maybe I should kiss it to make it better."

She laughs and wraps her arms around him. "My paper cut is fine," she tells him as she presses their foreheads together, "but, you know, my lips kind of hurt."

"Well then I'd better fix that," he whispers before capturing her lips with his own. He feels her shift to sit on his lap, straddling his waist and effectively deepening the kiss. which is so mind-numbing that he forgets all about the—

"_Ow._"

She furrows her eyebrows at the way he's smiling, a spark in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Paper cut."

* * *

**51. Mistletoe**

Now she knows that their Post-Christmas Day party will be one she will never forget when she wakes up and can't remember where she is.

_Oh, right. Quinn's house—I'm at Quinn's._

She stirs a bit, about to stretch out a yawn before she realizes something is pressed up against her.

She feels the rumble of his bare chest as he laughs softly, running his fingers through her hair and resting his hand on her shoulder, stroking it with his thumb. "Good morning," he whispers, and she smiles up at him, suddenly feeling a lot more awake now.

"It is now."

She shifts, bringing herself up more and resting her head against his shoulder, her lips teasingly grazing the dip between of his neck.

He pulls her onto him so that her head lay on his chest, her hair tickling his skin as it cascades around her. His hands slide agonizingly slowly down her spin, his touch so feathery light, and she feels her body tingle, shuddering delicately as his hands rest themselves on the small of her back. When her eyes are opened again, they are a little heavier now, and she actually _pouts_.

He chuckles again and his eyes drift upward, focusing on an obscure item hanging there.

She follows his eyes up as well and smiles.

"Funny," he muses. "I thought those were only meant for kisses."

"I didn't hear you complaining about it last night," she whispers into his ear.

He groans lightly and cradles her face, bringing her so close that their foreheads are touching, and he can count every single eyelash.

"I love you."

Her fingers trail over the contours of his chest. "I love you _more_."

He brings their lips together, and all the gifts in the world can't compare to her flavor, her scent, her touch, her _everything_.

"Merry Christmas, Tina."

She licks her lips and kisses him again, even longer this time. "Merry Christmas, Mike."

* * *

**A/n.** FINALLY! It's done! You do not know how long it took me to get this theme. (Which, by the way, is "holiday kisses," in case I wasn't being obvious enough :D)

Happy Holidays, everyone!

(I promise to write a little more of an explanation here after I crash and burn. I've been awake for much too long!)

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Theme: There's a First Time for Everything_

* * *

**52. First Kiss**

To say that she is an emotional wreck would be a bit of an understatement. But what else is a girl supposed to feel like when her so-called _boyfriend_ cuts their phone calls short, texts back one-worded replies, and chooses a video game over her. "I'm a horrible girlfriend," she sobs into her hand, "that's why he's ignoring me."

"Cut the crap, Tee, you know that's not true!" Leah cries.

Angela nods her head furiously in agreement. "You put way more effort into your relationship than he does. I'm sorry, but whoever this Artie guy is, he's a total ass."

"He's nice and sweet. Okay, not all the time. He has his moments," Tina mumbles. "But it's my fault. The first week of camp I didn't try contacting him once and it made him feel horrible, I'm sure!"

"Nice and sweet?" Leah repeats in disbelief. "Tee, nice and sweet isn't blowing your girlfriend off for some alien first-person shooter. Nice and sweet is like… like Mike, who makes you smile and laugh every time you're with him. That first week when you two got here were the happiest and most confident I've ever seen you in our five years of being camp counselors. I don't think that's a coincidence."

Tina chews softly on her lower lip, looking out their cabin window where, conveniently (or maybe not-so conveniently), Mike is within view, playing basketball with the other male counselors and some of the older campers.

Angela sighs. "We didn't mean to yell, Tina. But we hate seeing you like this."

"Yeah, if I ever go to Lima with you I'm going to find this Artie guy and give him a piece of my mind." Leah grumbles.

"He's in a wheelchair, Leah," Tina informs.

"So? Being handicapped doesn't give him the right to be such a dick."

And, well, Tina couldn't exactly argue with something that was entirely true. "Thanks, guys."

"For the record," Angela adds, "Mike never stops talking about you. He seems more into you than your _boyfriend_. Maybe you're just with the wrong guy."

Their words hang ring in her mind as they part ways and head off to their next activities. Hers was to help the younger kids get off of their cell phones and have some appreciation for the arts, which would have been a great distraction from the whole situation if Mike Chang wasn't the other counselor in charge with her. Plus, with his jacket left open, there was little she could do to ignore his abs.

"Hey guys! Sorry, I must smell like sweat," he apologizes with a laugh. The kids don't reply, texting away, and he exchanges smiles with Tina. "Do any of you know the musical _The King and I?_"

At their lack of response, Tina chuckles. "I think it's useless, Mike," Tina offers. "Want to just start?"

He laughs and nods in agreement. "You'll sing and I'll dance around you." There is a sparkle in his eyes as he adds, "Just like glee."

She bites her lower lip and blushes, thankful for the distraction when the pianist begins to play the song. However, her own voice is distant in her mind as she watches Mike dance, and she wants to fan herself. The room seems to be getting warmer or stuffier, and she sees him eying her, staring as well, or maybe she's just hallucinating?

She thinks back to that first week.

It was just supposed to be another summer getaway, to be reunited with her camp best friends, just like it always was. But the moment Mike Chang stepped off the bus she had felt that strange pull.

She felt butterflies whenever she was around him. She had always been uneasy around him since he first got to glee club, and even though they were friends, they had never been close. But that first week… that first week together made her feel as if they had known each other their whole lives. He understood her, was always there for her, never questioned her, encouraged her.

With Mike, things were so easy. With Artie, things were so complicated. She couldn't help but hear Angela's voice again.

_He seems more into you than you _boyfriend. _Maybe you're just with the wrong guy._

"…_getting to know you, getting to know all about you…_" He dances smoothly, effortlessly, spinning once, sending his unzipped jacket around and bringing her eyes back to his abs.

Then suddenly he is right in front of her and her heart is beating. "_…getting to like you…_" And, right then and there, seeing that look in his eyes, her mind goes fuzzy.

They kiss.

* * *

**53. First Date**

In the back of her mind, she figures they might as well turn the TV off if they weren't even going to watch it.

He laughs when she voices this opinion, kissing her soundly a couple more times (effectively distracting them for the remainder of a _Vampire Diaries_ rerun) before finally breaking off long enough to fumble around for the remote on the coffee table and switch it off. She shifts herself to lie across his lap, her head resting on the arm of the couch, and smiles at him, biting her lower lip.

"There. Now we're saving electricity."

He laughs in clear amusement and leans closer to her. "Should I be offended that you think of energy conservation techniques when we make out?"

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" she teases, laughing as he plays along and pouts. "My poor baby."

He chuckles, reaching over to sweep some of her bangs from her face. Despite their make-out session just a few seconds ago, the gesture seems so intimate that she blushes brightly.

"You know," he says softly, "It feels good to have it finally over with, you know? Having to wait all summer…" She frowns in slight confusion and he laughs a bit nervously. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I mean, I'm kind of thankful for Asian Camp. We spent all summer together that it makes this whole first-date thing easier, considering we're both pretty shy and—"

"What did you say?" she interrupts, knitting her eyebrows together.

He blinks. "What, about the first date thing?" She nods. "Well, you just broke up with Artie today, right? I mean, I love our time at Asian Camp, but now that it's _officially_ over, it just feels… different."

"Huh." She shifts, sitting up a little more, and leans against him. "I guess, after everything we did over the summer, I never looked at that way."

He smiles. "Sorry it's not some glamorous, expensive restaurant date. You deserve the best."

Parting her lips slightly, her eyes flutter as she presses their lips together in a long kiss. He groans lowly, kissing her back and letting her pull him down towards the couch with her, effectively deepening their already heady kiss. Somehow, when they part for air a few minutes later, she ends up flat on her back and underneath him. She bites her lower lip and smiles, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

"This," she tells him breathily, "is the best first date ever."

* * *

**54. First Solo**

"You okay, man? You're kind of sweating bullets," Finn informs his friend, grasping him by his shoulders to cease his pacing.

Mike frowns. "Gee thanks. I really needed to know that."

"Dude, chill out." Puck laughs and shoves his hand into his pocket. "It's not the first time we've sung in front of a big audience, this is like the second Regionals we've been to."

"Maybe, but this is the first time I've had a _solo_, and a lot of lines for that solo. What if I screw it up?"

"You won't," Artie assures.

"Easy for you guys to say, _everyone _in this club has had their fair share of solo songs or lines except for me," he reminds. "I was perfectly fine harmonizing in the background."

Sam rests his hand on Mike's shoulder. "Okay. First of all, it helps to breathe slowly. Hyperventilating will just make everything worse." Mike lets out a sigh. "And second of all, that's a lie. You love singing, and not just in the background. I see the way you are when you sing with Tina, you're just as confident with singing as you are dancing."

"Those are _duets_ and just with us. There isn't a giant spotlight bearing down on you and a giant audience staring at you in the choir room!"

Suddenly, there is a voice echoing down the hallway. "Okay, okay, I'm here!"

"Tina?"

Said girl rushes into her boyfriend's arms, Kurt following shortly after. "You looked like you were about to cry and thought I needed to bring in some back-up, but there's only five minutes until curtain."

"Mike," she breathes, cradling his face in her hands. "You're going to be great. You can do it in your sleep!"

"But Tee, it was just us and glee." He exhales. "I don't… I don't think I can handle it. You remember how I was during that duet project, or even just my dance duet with Britt."

"And you _owned_ it," Tina reminds. "You had everyone in glee cheering, and the crowd roaring and on their feet. Mike, the only thing holding you back is _you._"

"But—"

"No. No doubting yourself. You're going to go out there and drive the crowd wild. And when you do…"

She offers him a slightly teasing, slightly reassuring smile as she stretched in her heels and gives him a deep, lingering kiss, chuckling at the way the guys catcall around them.

Maybe solos aren't so bad, with Tina there to kiss all of his nerves away.

* * *

**55. First Time**

He never thought their celebratory Regionals party would ever turn into this.

This is mostly because Santana and Brittany had gotten the Cheerios who had been good friends with Kurt and Mercedes during their time to come along, and those Cheerios brought the handful of jocks that _didn't_ want to punch the glee kids' faces to come, too. Apparently, throwing in couple of bottles of liquor (courtesy of Puck) into the equation was enough to turn it into wild night.

"Hey stranger," a voice he knows all too well whispers, trailing her fingers under his shirt and along his spine. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

He groans lowly, twisting around and grasping Tina's wrists before capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. A small whimper escapes her throat, a sound that drove him crazy every time, and he releases her lips and pushes her against the wall, his hands tracing over her figure.

"You've been avoiding me all night."

She says this breathily, and even with the hint of alcohol and playful pout, he can tell she seems distressed by this.

He recaptures her lips in another heady kiss. "No I haven't." She eyes him skeptically, eyelids a little heavy from the kiss. _Maybe she's drunk? _He knows Tina can be a bit emotional when she's under.

Smiling slyly, she stretches on her toes, pressing against him with her breath warm on his ear as she whispers, "Then prove it. Let's get a room."

Not one to disobey (especially _her_), he returns her smile and stumbles along as she yanks him forward and into one of the guest bedrooms. She closes the door shut with her back and wraps her arms around him, pulling his lips back to hers. In a daze, he manages to fumble around until he hears the faint sound of the lock clicking into place.

"Alone at last," Tina mutters against his lips.

He smirks. "Kurt is going to kill us," he reminds, though his tone suggests that (at least for the moment) he could care less.

"He's a little preoccupied. Didn't you see him grinding with those Cheerios on the dance floor?" She giggles. "I saw Finn and Santana go upstairs, and Rachel and Puck disappeared an hour ago. It's a good thing Kurt and Finn live in such a big house, right?"

"So what you're saying is, at least we won't get in trouble alone?"

It's her turn to smirk. "Exactly."

She grasps his wrist and tugs him forward, sitting herself onto the bed and pulling him over her, capturing his lips in another deep, passionate kiss.

When they part minutes later, they are both breathless. He dips his lips in and kisses her throat, loving the sound of her sigh and the way she tosses her head back against the pillow, her hair fanning out beneath her head, as he finds her pulse. He feels her hands begin to fumble with the buttons of his shirt. "Maybe you should cool off," he mutters against her skin, grasping her wrist with his hand.

She shudders lightly but, a few seconds later, she pushes him off of her. His eyebrows knit in confusion as he pulls back and peers down at her, surprised to find her eyes watery.

"Tee?" There is alarm in his tone as he grasps her shoulders, both of them shifting to sit up. "Tina, what's wrong?"

She lets out a soft cry. "You do that every time," she whispers, voice a little raspy.

_Oh, crap._ "Do what?"

"Stop it before we go too far." She seems completely different from a minute ago. _She's drunk, isn't she?_ "What is it? Do you not want to have sex with me, Mike?"

"What? No! Tina," he says fiercely, holding her closer to him, "don't be ridiculous. Of course I do."

"Then why?" She isn't sobbing or even sniffling, but even in the dim lighting, he sees the tears slowly roll down her cheek. "Is it because you think I'll be bad at it, because it's my first time?"

"Of course not!" But the fact she is still a virgin is news to him. Of course he'd had his suspicions, but he never pressed the matters, never had it her say it out loud, until now. Confirming it made it _that_ much more impossible to not take her then and there.

"Tina," he whispers, "I just don't want you to regret doing anything. Of course I want to, so badly. But I don't want to pressure you. Especially not when you're drunk and—"

She hits his chest.

It doesn't particularly hurt, but it startles him because he wasn't expecting it.

Then she tackles him onto the bed, pressing their lips together in an urgent kiss. She grasps his hands and places them under her shirt on the small of her back. Her skin is on fire.

"You've been incredibly sweet. I do appreciate that, Mike. But I'm ready and I've wanted this for awhile now." With a smile, she adds, "And I'm not drunk. I'm not completely sober, either, but…"

He flips them over, pinning her to the bed beneath him. "You're going to be the death of me, Tee," he whispers, hands slipping underneath her shirt.

She bites her lower lip and giggles. Sitting herself up slightly on her elbow, she whispers into his ear.

"I love you."

He hums contentedly against her skin and kisses her with everything he has. "God, I love you, too."

* * *

**56. First "Morning After"**

When he wakes up, the first thing he sees is her beautiful face with the bright sunlight shining behind her head. In the back of his mind, he wonders if this is what heaven looks like.

As if she can hear his thoughts, she giggles softly, batting her eyelashes and managing to look innocent and bashful with her swollen lips and mussed hair. He notices that she has his shirt on with the sleeves pushed up past her elbow, only a few of the buttons actually buttoned (and a couple in the wrong slit).

Noticing his stare, she blushes. "I… couldn't find my shirt." Then, even lower, "I figured you wouldn't want your girlfriend creeping out to use the bathroom in the nude."

"That I don't," he agrees, placing his fingers on the back of her neck and bringing their lips together in a tentative kiss. "You are _mine _to see_._"

She chuckles. "As you are _mine._"

Shifting back underneath the covers, she curls against his side and lays her head against his chest, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly. "How do you feel?"

"Do you even need to ask?" He chuckles and kisses her again. "I feel absolutely amazing. Like I'm in heaven."

"Huh. Those were my exact thoughts when I woke up to _you_," he informs, squeezing her lightly. "Then again, you _are_ my heaven."

She laughs, and it's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard, second to hearing her say his name. She is positively glowing, and there is a sparkle in her eyes.

His gazing of her and their moment, however, is ruined when the door bursts open.

"Hot damn, you two too?"

Reflexively, Mike pulls the covers halfway up his chest and gives an annoyed glare until he realizes who it is. "Oh. Kurt?"

"This is what I get for having friends that are hormonal couples!" he exclaims. "I mean, thank whatever force of nature kept my room untouched, but did everyone have sex in my house last night!" Mike arches an eyebrow in amusement while Tina laughs, clearly entertained. "It's a good thing Dad and Carole are gone for the _entire_ weekend or we'd be knee-deep in hell right now."

"Oh come on, Kurt, it's not that bad," Tina insists.

"Hmm, let's see… Finn and Santana were in his room, Puck and Rachel went upstairs in the guest bedroom, Sam and Quinn were making out in my parents' room, Artie and Britt were cuddling in the den, Mercedes and that Anthony kid crashed in the living room, and all of the Cheerios are passed out!"

"Why don't you call your boyfriend? I'm sure you two will have a good laugh over everything since he wasn't able to make it," Tina advises.

Kurt looks completely horrified. "He would find it just as scandalous as me! Just—" He sighs. "Whatever. Since you two are the only ones awake and obviously not hung over, you're helping first."

"Helping?" Mike arches an eyebrow.

"Well, we need breakfast for everyone, if and when they finally come around. I think Sam and Quinn are waking up so I'll get them started on clean-up."

"I think you're just trying to get your revenge, Kurt," Mike laughs.

"Damn straight. If you're going to turn my house into something out of a red light district, you're paying one way or another!" And, with that, he slams the door.

The couple burst into laughter the moment he's gone and, when that subsides a little, Tina kisses Mike's lips again and tucks some hair behind her ear.

"This, by far, is my favorite morning _ever._"

* * *

**A/n.** Sorry if it just cuts off, but I didn't want to go into the future stuff. I have other things planned for that category :D

But, I thought this theme would be a fitting post for the New Year! (And, as usual, please excuse any errors until I can take properly edit. But right now, I have to get my head out of the fanfiction world and back to my homework… yay me.)

And special thanks to **Kiss-The-Stars-Touch-The-Moon**, who first suggested this theme, and **Bree-utiful**, who had suggested something from their Asian Camp. I loved writing this!

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Theme: Putting it Into Perspective_

* * *

**57. Santana**

_They're so freaking adorable._ Santana rolls her eyes, listening to the giggling and laughing being done by Mike and Tina halfway across the choir room.

Those two managed to make McKinley High, hormone-central, look straight out of a Disney film. Freaking impossible.

No teenage couple could be that sugary-sweet and pure and innocent. Not even Artie and Britt (which surprised everyone, to be honest, that they could actually have sex), sure as hell not Puck and Rachel. Maybe Mercedes and that Anthony kid, but they weren't _dating-_dating, yet. Maybe Sam and Quinn, but she was devout and all that stuff happened to her last year, so she's not going to go there.

Interrupting Finn's recall of his first encounter with the Starbucks menu, she mutters, "Wait here," and gets up from her chair, heading straight towards the happy couple.

She taps Tina's shoulder and gains both of their slightly shocked, slightly intrigued attentions, which doesn't bother her. They were friends and all, but it wasn't as if she and Tina had quality bonding time since, well, ever.

"Hey Santana," Tina greets. "What's up?"

"You got any plans for later?"

She blinks. "Well, Mike and I were—"

"Well, reschedule, okay? You and I are going to hit the mall after glee, if you want to."

Tina stares at her for a moment. She knows the _if you want to_ is just a Santana courtesy and she isn't really giving an option to say _no_.

"Um, okay," Tina agrees after a pause. Brightening a little and flashing a smile at Mike, she adds, "Sounds fun."

.

After they've gotten smoothies and hit a couple of stores, they find themselves trying on dresses and Tina gets her to try on a Gothic dress. It was actually kind of hot.

"Try this," Santana orders, handing Tina a red halter dress with a dip in the back. It was a pleasant surprise to know that they were actually the same size, which may have been more beneficial if they didn't have vastly differing style choices. Still, this meant Santana made Tina try on everything that she had just finished.

Tina takes the dress with the same _um, okay_ look on her face she's sort of had since they stepped into the store.

When she is back in her stall, she starts somewhat hesitantly, "So, why did you suddenly want to go shopping with me?"

"I wanted to ask you a question," she informs.

"And that would be- aw, crap," Tina mutters. "Santana, I think the zipper is caught on the tag."

"Okay, I'm coming in," she says, getting off the small couch and yanking the stall open without hesitation. "Let me- whoa."

Tina looks at her through the reflection of the slim mirror. "What?"

"This!" Santana nearly exclaims, fingering the black strap of the black and red lace bra she has on. "Damn, Tina, I didn't think you had something this downright sexy on under all that Gothic crap!"

Habitually, Tina blushes. "Santana!" she hisses, as if there is anyone else in the dressing room that could hear them, which there isn't. "And what are you talking about, anyway? I thought you said that the Gothic look was kind of hot when you tried it."

"It was, but that wasn't your kind of Goth, remember?" Shaking her head, she adds, "And it's sure as hell not as smoking as this thing."

Blushing more, she mutters, "Just take the damn dress off."

Santana laughs but chooses not to sexualize the comment for fear the girl may pass out of all the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Damn. I wonder if Mike has a clue of what he's missing."

She didn't really expect to say it aloud, nor did she realize she has until Tina is staring at her strangely. "What?"

_Huh. Not the reaction I was expecting_. "Okay, I'll come clean. As fun as this all was, the real reason I dragged you with me today is because I wanted to find something out."

"Which was…"

"Are you banging Mike Chang?"

It is silent for a full minute before Tina bursts into laughter. She's fucking laughing at it. "Sorry, sorry. It's just- I can't believe you asked me that. Who else would I do… _it _with?"

"So you two do have sex?" Santana asks. "Because, the way you two are at school, it's like you guys are- I don't know- so _innocent_ or whatever."

She gives the Latina a patronizing look.

"It's me and Mike. We wouldn't feel the need to show that at school." Smiling at her through the reflection, she shrugs one shoulder. "Even if it isn't about the sex, sometimes it's healthy to forget about that. It reminds me that I fell for Mike because of Mike and not just his abs. And," she chews her bottom lip softly, blushing a little more, "it's all reserved for when we're alone."

Santana holds up a hand. "No need to get into detail, Tee," she stops her, earning a laugh. "And I guess that actually makes sense to me."

"Is that why you've been staring at me and Mike all week?"

"Pretty much." Pulling the zipper down, she hums in contemplation. "I think you may have convinced me of something."

"You're not actually going to try it, are you?" At her smirk, Tina laughs a little harder. "Oh, I'd love to see the look on Finn's face when he sees you trying to be normal."

She scoffs. "You're meaner than I thought. I think I like you even more, now."

"Good to know." She tilts her head slightly, chuckling. "This was surprisingly. We should do it more often."

"Surprisingly, I agree." Yanking the dress off (finally), she places a hand on her hip and smiles a very Santana smile. "Now let's keep shopping. I want to put you in something that'll give Mike an instant hard-on."

* * *

**58. Quinn**

She has free period with him in the library and it's their quality bonding time since she and Finn had been together freshman and sophomore year.

"No, damn, Mike, stop- stop- Mike!" she hisses flinching away from his attempts to tickle her side. Oh, how she regrets the day he accidentally found _that_ weakness out. "You'll get us in trouble!"

He laughs at her and retracts his hands, and they walk to their usual table towards the back. Sliding into chairs opposite of each other and dropping their bags beside them, he quickly looks around and whips out his phone, checking a message and instantly brightening up, laughing silently.

"Let me guess," Quinn smiles, "_Tina_."

"Who else?" He quickly texts his reply and slides the phone shut again.

She smiles and reaches into her backpack, searching for a notebook and pen, when she hears him laughing softly again less than two minutes later. "Another?"

"Well, yeah, what did you expect?"

She slides the notebook between them, clicking her pen. "You know, if I didn't like the girl so much and the fact she makes you so happy, I'd say she's _trying_ to take my time with you," she jokes.

Mike smiles. "Oh, definitely." They share a laugh and she opens the notebook to the back, flipping through their many pages of doodles and games of hangman and tic-tac-toe. "Nah, she has Algebra 2 honors this period so she has to stay focused. Plus, she knows that this is our quality time. She wouldn't try taking that from you."

"She does?"

He raises his eyebrows slightly. "Of course. I don't keep things from Tina."

"And she wasn't the least bit jealous or mad when you told her about it, and instead she encourages it?"

He blinks. "Is this about you, or something, because you know you're pretty, right? And Tina likes you, so she doesn't want to upset you, and she knows we are good friends."

"There. You just said I was pretty," she points out. "Tina wouldn't get jealous of that?"

"Well, no, because I told her from the beginning that my friendship with you is never like that, and she believes me. That's kind of what it means to be in love with someone. Or, in my opinion, it is."

She presses her lips together.

"Tina isn't the jealous type, anyway. I mean, when she was with Artie, it was the same thing. You and Artie are so close and he was there for you, and she admires you so much for it."

"She told you about things that happened when she was with Artie?" He nods. "That's just- I mean, I know it's important to not lie and keep secrets, but you tell each other _everything_."

"Pretty much." He shrugs one shoulder and smiles. "I tell her things, she tells me things. Everything is out in the open between us, that's just how we are. And it helps a lot with everything because I never have to guess with her, I just know, and she never doubts how I feel. I think that's how love is supposed to be, isn't it?"

She knows that the last sentence was a joking, rhetorical one, but she answers it with a faint, "Yeah."

He hums. "I think I'm caught on. It's Sam, right?"

She blushes slightly, and he knows he's right because she only blushes uncontrollably in front of a few select people and, much to her dismay, he was one of them.

"You know Sam is awesome, right?" Mike asks. "He really cares for you, Quinn. He loves you. But I guess he's not sure if you love him as much as he does you."

"I do," she blurts out. "It's just, after everything—"

"I get it, you're just being cautious," he assures. "I know you've got this whole putting-up-walls thing, but if you really love Sam, one way to show it is by letting him in more."

She blows out a sigh, doodling on the corner of the page before smiling at him. "I guess you're right."

"You only _guess_ I am?"

She rolls her eyes. "Shut up, and let's just get to the hangman. We're doing bets again because I could always use another $40."

"That was_ one_ time and you're not winning again!"

* * *

**59. Rachel**

"…insufferable, haughty, childish, immature—"

"Rachel."

"…unbelievable, rude, sarcastic, arrogant, imperious—"

"_Rachel_."

"…crass, overprotective, censorious, presumptuous—"

"Rachel!" Tina yanks her sheet music from her hand to gain her attention.

The smaller girl blows out a sigh. "Sorry," she mutters. "I've been trying to maintain my cool and not take it out on everyone in glee, but, if you must know, Noah and I had a fight today."

"Could've fooled me," Tina mutters, frowning at the eyebrow Rachel raises when she realizes she accidentally blurted the thought aloud. "Sorry. Just, what happened?"

"He- he was just being himself, his overbearing and juvenile self, just because we happened to be around his football friends. I mean, I get it, I'm happy for him that he is able to keep their company despite the fact he is in glee club, but that is no reason for him to just pretend it's okay to be sexist and egotistical and—"

"Just like Puck?"

Rachel crosses her arms. "He can be better than that, so much better, but he chooses not to, and it can be very, very upsetting."

"Well, for one, they _are_ guys," Tina points out. "I know it's not an excuse but it's an explanation."

"But Mike and even Sam are never, ever like that," Rachel reminds. "I mean, Quinn, okay, I get that too, she's head Cheerio again, she's on top, why wouldn't you want to flaunt her around? But even with Mike, he lifts you up on a pedestal and I'm jealous."

Tina blinks. "What are you talking about? To Puck, you're like a goddess."

"If so, why does he do this with me?"

Tina laughs. "Because he's Puck! He does this to everyone, even people he hardly knows."

"As opposed to his _girlfriend_. Thanks, Tina, that makes me feel so much better."

"Okay, bad example. But ever since he got back together with you, he's improved so much. We all see it," Tina reminds.

"So he sings more in glee," Rachel mutters.

"Oh, you know it's more than that," Tina corrects. "How about the fact that he actually shows up to class? Or the fact the most he's gotten in the past month and a half is a warning, but no detentions? Or that his tests and quizzes come back with A's and B's instead of D's and F's, and that he actually does his homework sometimes? He does all that stuff for you."

She sighs. "Maybe so, but it still doesn't change the fact that he has a tendency to revert back to his old ways around his football friends."

"Because they're guys," Tina shrugs. "He doesn't act much differently with everyone in glee and you seem fine with it."

"That's because it's glee club. No one cares how we act with each other." She crosses her arms over her chest. "But the moment he is near enough to the football team it's like it doesn't matter."

Tina studies her. "So, what you're saying is, it's not about how he's acting but the fact he acts that way towards the football team, who is popular. Is that it?"

Slowly, she nods. "I know it may seem petty but it's not, not to me, at least. I've had reputation get in the way of relationships before." Tina presses her lips together because it doesn't take a genius to figure out she was referring to Finn. "He may not see it, but I do, and it might change him again. And I don't want to see that."

Tina offers a smile. "Rachel, I think you're over-thinking this."

"But I—"

"Just, let me finish." Rachel presses her lips together. "I think you're over-thinking this because you make reputation a big deal, when it's not."

"You don't understand, I can't have his reputation come between us like it did with me and Finn," Rachel sighs.

"I don't understand? Rach, you and I are in the same situation here," Tina reminds. "We're both outcasts dating football jocks. Quinn, Britt, and Santana are all Cheerios, and Mercedes is so awesome that she doesn't give a damn. But, because of who we fell for, it's hard to feel like reputation doesn't matter."

"It does."

"No, it doesn't. Not if Puck really loves you, which he does. It was the same when Mike and I fought about it."

"You and Mike fought?" Rachel asks. Tina arches an eyebrow and Rachel shrugs her shoulder. "Well, you two are so perfect, it seems unlikely."

"Oh, please. Don't go there," Tina laughs. "Yes, we fought. And we still do, occasionally. Nothing too serious, but the right kind of fighting means that the relationships is fairly healthy."

"Then Noah and I must be going great," Rachel mutters. "So, wait, when was this?"

"A little after we first got together," Tina explains. "Do you remember that Jacob kid, and how he did those reports on our summer vacations?"

Rachel nods. "He caught the two of you holding hands on tape. I remember that."

"Right. I wanted to keep it a secret because he was a football player. He was already pushing it, being in football and in glee, of course I didn't want the fact he was dating me to destroy his rep. But I didn't tell him this and he sort of got mad because he wanted to know why I didn't want to tell anybody." Tina shrugs one shoulder. "I thought for sure he'd break up with me, but instead—"

"He got up in front of the whole cafeteria and told everyone how amazing you are and threatened to hurt anyone who bothered you two," Rachel finishes, smiling widely. "I remember that. It was so sweet. I didn't imagine it was over that, though."

"Well, that's because we never told anyone what the issue was," Tina explains. "The point is, he proved he cared for me more than his reputation."

"I always knew Mike was a complete gentleman," Rachel declares. "And I always knew he completely loved you."

Tina blushes lightly. "_Anyway_," she continues, "this thing with Puck? All you have to do is tell him, and if he loves you as much as we all think he does, he'll probably do the same."

Rachel sighs. "I suppose you're right."

"Oh, you know I am." Then Tina nudges her shoulder in Puck's direction, where he has been glancing at them from across the room every thirty seconds. "Now go talk to him."

* * *

**60. Mercedes**

"Okay, it's official," she declares, shoving the textbook from her lap, "I hate this subject. I'll just take my F now, please."

"You're giving up way too easily, Cedes," Mike says.

Said girl frowns at him and gives a playful shove. "Just because you and Tina are Asian geniuses and never get below an 85 on anything doesn't mean all of us are like that."

Tina laughs. "You're exaggerating." But, with her slumped shoulders and stiff neck, she too was reaching her maximum capacity of honors Algebra II for the day, and they were only halfway done. "But I say let's take a break. I think my legs fell asleep, woke up, and then fell asleep twice."

"Agreed," Mike yawns, pecking her lips with his when she stretches her arms. "I have to give my mom a quick call. I missed her twice."

"Okay. Tell her I said 'hi,'" Tina calls out as he enters the hallway. When he's gone, she unfolds her legs and swings them off the side of her bed. "Let's open a window."

"What?" Mercedes questions. "Girl, it's freezing."

"Really? I feel kind of stuffy," Tina admits.

"It's because what you're wearing is so thick and doesn't breathe," Mercedes points out.

Tina laughs and rolls her eyes. "I thought we agreed that poking fun at my Goth is off limits," she reminds as she cracks the window open.

"Sorry. I can't help it, I'm a fashionista, it's instinct," Mercedes cries. "I love you and all but you know if you ever want a style change—"

"No thanks, Cedes," Tina interrupts.

"Well, can I at least pick out something from your closet for you to change into?" Mercedes asks. "You're almost sweating bullets."

Tina laughs and begins to unbutton her dress. "That'd be awesome, actually."

Mercedes slides herself off of the bed and opens the closet doors. Had she not known any better, it was as if Tina bought strictly from vintage department stores from the medieval period and Halloween costume boutiques. Not that she thought Tina looked bad, of course, but she knew how much potential style-wise the girl had, and it was a shame to see it hidden.

"So, has Mike ever said anything about your style?" Mercedes asks curiously. It hadn't occurred to her until just then that Mike has never voiced his opinion on that department, but then again, Artie had made his fair share of comments and it was obvious a touchy subject for her.

"He likes it," Tina assures. "I mean, at least it seems he does. He's actually bought me things."

Mercedes looks at her with intrigued eyes. "He what?"

"Only a couple of things," she reconsiders. "But he is a guy so fashion isn't exactly his forte. Plus, I'm not sure if he can tell Goth from emo quite yet."

"Like what, exactly?" Mercedes pulls out a hanger at random, holding up a lacey black dress. "Something like this?"

"More like just the accessories," Tina corrects.

"Oh." She puts the dress back, flipping through some more hangers.

And that's when she stumbles upon something that is completely out of place: a white sundress dress with rows and rows of multi-colored dots and a green cardigan thrown over. It looks like something Quinn wears when she was out of her Cheerios uniform.

"What is _this?_" Mercedes asks incredulously, yanking the dress from the closet and holding up for her to see.

Tina, who was changing into her old Asian Camp tee and shorts, looks up and pauses at the dress. Her eyes widen ever so slightly, her jaw falling open with a faint, "Oh."

"Hey, Tee, my mom says that she—"

Mercedes turns to look at Mike, who was paused in the doorway, his words dead on his tongue as his eyes are fixed on the dress. Quickly, his eyes cut to Tina. "What's going on?"

For what felt like a few minutes, no one answered. "I was just asking her that," Mercedes finally responds. She gestures to the dress again, only this time at Mike. "Do you know what this is all about?"

Tina blinks, snapping out from whatever trance she had been in, and rushes over to Mercedes. "It's nothing, it's a long story," she blurts out, snatching the dress from her hand before she has time to respond. "Let me put this back in my sister's room."

And she nearly bolts from the room, leaving Mercedes to stare at Mike questioningly.

"Why does she have that dress?"

"It was a while ago," Mike answers, his hand curling and uncurling around his phone. "I don't exactly remember."

"Really? Because it seems like whatever it was has you scared to death."

Mike stares at her for a long moment before blowing out a sigh. "I think she was going through this phase of denial, like she felt the need to dress… differently when we got together."

"She did? Why have none of us seen that dress then?"

"I talked her out of it before anyone else saw," he explains, sitting himself on the edge of her bed. "She showed up at my house and looked so uncomfortable being in it. Even my parents noticed but I don't think anyone wanted to say anything. I think she felt like what she wore was embarrassing to me or something. It was the same way with the whole reputation thing."

"Oh." Mercedes studies him. "Well, maybe if you had encouraged it, she would've been open to change. We all know how amazing she looks, she shouldn't hide it."

He makes a face. "I don't want her to think anything is wrong with how she looks. I _know_ she's beautiful in whatever she wears, and I tell her all the time, but I want her to feel beautiful, too."

Mercedes hums contemplatively. "I guess I never thought of it that way. Man, I feel horrible."

"You're her friend, you just want to look out for her, like I do," Mike reassures. "Don't feel bad about it."

"I guess, but I still owe her a huge apology." Mercedes sighs and sits on the bed as well. "So, she really tried to change for you?"

He shrugs. "I guess."

"That's kind of huge, you know," she informs.

"I felt awful," he admits. "Do you know horrible I felt when she did that? It was like I didn't make her feel like I liked her enough for her to be herself."

Mercedes shakes her head. "You're looking at it the wrong way. Kurt and I and even Artie had nagged her since forever to change her style and she never budged with us. She just got angry. But if she was willing to change so much because of you—it means she really cares about you."

Mike looks at her. "You think so?"

"I know so," she corrects. "You two are kind of perfect."

He laughs lightly as Tina re-enters the room, the color seeming to have returned to her face. He gets up before she's barely through the doorway, kissing her sweetly and looking at her worriedly. "I'm fine, Mike," she reassures, a quick laugh escaping her throat before he's kissing her again.

Mercedes smiles and looks away, feeling intrusive on their little moment. _And just when I thought they couldn't get any cuter…_

* * *

**61. Brittany**

She's always thought Tina was pretty cool, how she stood up for herself, though she had this underlying suspicion that she was some sort of half-vampire or whatever. But they are over at Artie's house, baking cupcakes (because Artie loves her family's recipe) while he and Mike shoot each other in the living room, and it's not the first time she's noticed how Artie and Tina like to reminisce.

"You know you have nothing to worry about, right?" Artie had asked before Mike and Tina got there.

She nods, but apparently she's not the best actor because his face fell slightly.

"Okay, what me and Tina had was great, and all," he had reassured, "but _you're_ the one I want to be with. Me and Tina are just friends now. You have nothing to worry about."

He kissed her lips and she smiled as the doorbell rang.

But when the couple had gotten there, Tina and Artie laughed from time to time in the inside-joke kind of way, obviously recalling their past, and she didn't understand how this didn't seem to faze Mike. He didn't seem at all uncomfortable with the fact his girlfriend's ex so frequently brought up their past while they were in the room together.

"Do you want to know how I can tell these cupcakes are going to be delicious?" Tina asks.

Brittany looks up. "How?"

Tina scrapes her finger along the used bowl, collecting some of the batter, and sticks it in her mouth. "This batter is to die for."

Brittany laughs and mimics her, licking the batter clean off of her finger before dipping it in again for more. "I didn't know you could eat it like this," she says excitedly. "It's so good."

"Don't eat it too much," Tina warns.

"Why not?"

"It can get you sick," she tells the blonde, sliding the bowl just out of reach and placing it in the sink.

Brittany smiles and licks her lips. "Can we put frosting on the cupcakes? And sprinkles?"

"Of course," Tina answers, wiping her hands on a towel. "Hmm. I think I remember that Mrs. Abram keeps her cake stuff in the lower cabinet."

She watches Tina move around her and crouch down, opening a cabinet by the dishwasher and revealing various baking goods underneath. "Hah. I still remember," Tina says to herself, looking at Brittany and explaining, "Mrs. Abram loves baking."

Brittany frowns slightly. She hadn't known that.

"I think you'd love her," Tina goes on, pulling out different-colored frosting and sprinkles and placing them on the counter. "You both love to bake, plus she's pretty awesome."

"Tina," she says suddenly, and Tina turns to look at her, a little surprised at her tone. "Do you- do you want Artie back?"

She nearly drops a tub of frosting. "What?"

Brittany sighs. "It's just, you keep talking about him and when you guys were together, and sometimes he talks about you, but you have Mike and don't you love him?"

"Brittany," Tina exhales a laugh, grasping the girl by her arms, "Calm down. Okay?" Brittany nods slowly. "Look, we tried the whole dating thing and we're just meant to be friends."

"Oh," she says softly.

"Don't you know that Artie really, really likes you?" Tina asks. "When we talk, it's almost always about you. And you feel the same too, right?"

She nods her head furiously. "He's so sweet," she sighs, looking back over her shoulder towards the living room and then back at Tina. "He helps me a lot and is patient with me, and he always eats whatever I make him, and likes to go on walks and he's like a cute little puppy and I don't want to lose him. He- he makes me feel special even though I can be a bit slow and it's awesome."

"Wow," Tina murmurs. "You really like him, don't you?"

She nods.

"Then you have nothing to worry about because he's really into you," Tina assures.

Brittany bites her lower lip, her eyes watering slightly.

"Aw, Britt." Tina brushes some of her blonde hair from her face. "What's the matter?"

"Artie said that to me, too," she murmurs, "before you two got here. Is he going to hate me that I doubted him?"

"No, of course not. Look, I know what you're going through, and you're worrying over nothing," Tina explains. "I was the same way with Mike."

"You were?" she sniffs. "Because you two are related?"

"Related? Britt, we're not related."

"Oh," she says softly. "Good, because that would've been kind of gross."

Tina laughs. "I doubted Mike because he seemed too good to be true, like he could be gone in any second."

Brittany blows out a sigh. "I hate that feeling the most."

Tina smiles. "But you're still with him, which means that you're crazy about him. And if he loves you as much as I know he does, then in the end, you'll be glad you trusted him."

Brittany breaks into a smile and nods slowly, muttering a soft, "okay," before wrapping her arms around the girl in a surprising hug, which was quickly returned.

"Did we miss something?"

The girls pull apart to find Mike and Artie joining them in the kitchen, looking pleasantly curious.

"Nah, just girl stuff," Tina answers dismissively. "Had enough fun shooting each other for one day?"

"As if there's such a thing," Artie scoffs, and the four laugh. "But our girlfriends deserve our attention more, anyway. I was too excited to try Britt's delicious cupcakes."

"Really?" Brittany asks.

"Yeah, always," he chuckles, rolling closer to her and taking her hand, pulling her from Tina's grasp and onto his lap. "So," he asks lowly, so only she can hear it, "are we good?"

Brittany looks at him before a soft giggle interrupts her gaze, and she turns her head towards Mike and Tina. Tina is biting her lower lip and laughing, hands slightly covering her face, as Mike has his arms around her waist and is swaying them ever-so-slightly from side to side, whispering into her ear and looking at her with complete adoration.

She smiles, chewing on the inside of her lip and turning back to Artie. She knows she's seen that look before, because it's pretty much how Artie looks at her every day.

"Yeah, we're great," she murmurs, before pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss.

* * *

**A/n.** So, it was supposed to be just the girl's opinions on the Mike/Tina relationship, but I guess it ended up being a relationship-advice chapter instead. Sorry?

It was really hard writing Brittany's and Mercedes' parts because I just don't know how to write with them, so if help with whatever I did wrong, that would be much appreciated!

I didn't include the guys because: 1) that would be VERY long, considering this chapter's word count was 5,000 or so; and 2) I wanted to save them for a separate them because I honestly have no idea what goes on in a guy's head, so it would've been awkward to write about it, especially when it comes to relationships. I don't mean to be biased or anything, but that's why they're not in this chapter.

Thanks to **Silent Musings** who suggested "Mike and Tina's relationship from a third perspective." I really had fun exploring other characters as well!

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


End file.
